The Beginning of the End
by gone-phishing
Summary: Allen Walker is adopted by The Millennium Earl after loosing Mana for the second time. After years of training, he is sent on a mission to gather data on the Black Order, by becoming an Exorcist. Disclaimer: All characters are owned by Hoshino Katsura
1. Chapter 1 Chance Encounter

Chapter 1

"Mana… come on. Wake up Mana!' the small child wept feebly into the arms of a dying man

"Mana…." whimpered the small figure, as sorrow overshadowed his face.

The dying man managed to croak "Allen… Listen to me. No matter what happens, no matter what, don't stop-"

"Don't talk like that! Please Mana get up!" Pleaded the small child

"Never stop, always… keep walking-"continued the man

"I need you, don't leave me alone!" shouted the child. The dying man grabbed the child's gloved hand with all his remaining strength, placing him at eye level, as he whispered "Always keep walking, Allen. Until the day… you… die…." The grip on the child's arm loosened as the man collapsed, drawing his last breath. The child - eyes overflowing with tears - managed to whimper "No… Mana? Wake up… Please don't go…. Don't die and leave me!"

"MANA!" crying the man's name with his very soul, the child slumped over the corpse, refusing to let it go.

A daunting blood red horizon rose over a sinister looking graveyard, as large full moon occupied more than half of the red night sky. Dead trees around each edge of the graveyard added to the oppressing atmosphere itself. A lone child huddled over a large grave with a tombstone that read 'Mana Walker'. The child sat alone, feeling a cold loneliness and emptiness; the only light in his life had disappeared forever. However, this was not entirely true as a loud cheery voice broke the silence. "Good evening little one. You look sad", said a funny-looking man with a large circular stature and a large top hat. He had spectacles covering his eyes and an inhuman grin, which was almost large enough to swallow a small child. The child barely looked up as he responded with a confused tone of voice.

The funny looking man waddled over casually, placing a hand gently on the gravestone and asking curiously "Would you like me to bring your 'daddy' back to life for you?" The child was awe-struck, spellbound by the offer. He had lost his purpose for living the moment Mana had passed away, and now he had a chance of being able to see him again. Hope glistened in his silvery eyes, glazing over as he thought of his foster father. Quickly deciding on taking the only chance he would every have of seeing Mana again. He closed his eyes and asked

"What?", in a confused tone, to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The man standing before him answered quickly and reassuringly

"I simply need you to call for him; since you have such a special bond…Wouldn't it be great if you could see him again?" Again the child stared blankly in surprise, of how easy it would be to see Mana again. He wanted to make sure so he asked

"He'll come back?" The man with the top hat smiled (if even more than already was possible) and replied

"Of course! Come, let's call him back from your detestable god!" The child's eyes widened again – captivated, and he asked

"But can he? Will he hear me call him?" The man bellowed in laugher whilst using his umbrella to float around the back of the child. He then gestured to a skeleton. It was no ordinary skeleton; its glowing dark aura was enough to prove that. The bones looked like a material stronger than steel, and the teeth looked inhuman, similar to a vicious beast's. The boy managed to draw strength from deep within him, stand up and walk, each step having the weight of life and death in it. Slowly but steadily, he moved towards the skeleton.

"Now!", bellowed the man, "Raise your voice and call the one you love back from the other world!" The small child began stepping forward again, slowly, and cautiously. "That's it, don't be scared now" the man reassured him. The child stared longingly at the skeleton, before shuddering and beginning to shiver. He then shouted

"MANA!" as the cry echoed, heaven and earth seemed to split open as a purple bolt of fire fell from the sky, evaporating once it reached the skeleton, but not before illuminating the entire structure. A dark beam of red light engraved the name "Mana Walker" into the back of the skeleton's skull. The man thought to himself for a brief moment '_That name… I have heard it before. It sounds so familiar...But where?'_ As he collected his thoughts, the skeleton began to move slightly, exciting the young boy as he whimpered

"Mana..." A pentacle shone brightly on the skull of the skeleton as it looked up, seeing the world again...through an Akuma's vision.

"A..Allen?" the skeleton asked in a deep despairing voice. The child took another shaky step towards the being, outstretched arms grasping for the love he once felt. He whimpered

"Mana…"The skeleton looked at its arms; they had no hands, only blades. He stared at the boy for a moment before roaring

"How could you! How dare you turn me into an Akuma! I curse you! Allen!" The child shuddered before collapsing to his knees, as the Akuma skeleton raised its bone arm and struck swiftly down the left side of the child's face. Blood cascaded down the Allen's face, while tentacles wrapped around, almost suffocating him.

"How could you make me an Akuma?" the skeleton roared as he bashed the child into the ground with his tentacles. The mysterious man in the background said with the large sigh

"Oh, young Allen, you're mine now. Mana Walker, I order you to kill this child and wear his body as your own." As skeleton stepped forward, obeying the command of its master, and raised one of its bone arms to kill the child, a monstrous flash of green light exploded in every direction and where the glove on Allen's left hand had been, there was a terrifying, monstrous claw with glowing green flame where it connected with his body. Allen's demonic arm acted on its own, throwing the Akuma skeleton off as if it were a leaf on his shoulder. Releasing its terrifying hold, the skeleton jumped back and fell into a heap on the ground a ways away. The boy's otherworldly arm seemed to _want_ to destroy the skeleton, even if Allen begged it not to kill his beloved Mana's soul. Before he knew it, the arm as acting on its own, dragging him towards the skeleton, about to deal the final blow, when Allen's eye, that had been bleeding, shone a glistening red. The world around Allen was transformed, he saw his surroundings, drained of colour. But that hardly mattered to the child, all of his attention was drawn the new way he saw the skeleton. Above the Akuma, resting a few feet above his head, was a grim visage of Mana Walker's soul, an otherworldly corpse, resting on air, surrounded by purple hellfire. But the thing that Allen noticed the most, over all the other unnatural phenomenon, was that the soul was crying.

Crying blood.

"Allen… please… I beg of you, save my soul; kill this pitiful Akuma. I… I love you."

With these final words, Allen's left arm seemed to know it was all over. It expanded, growing to a size that would normally be impossible. The enormous claw came crashing down upon the brittle skeleton, crushing it as one would crush an ant. The Akuma shattered, splinters of bone rocketing off in every direction before disappearing in a puff of purple smoke. For a split second, Allen saw the soul of Mana Walker drifting off into the ether.

"Allen Walker… Thank you."

The man in the background with the large grin was considering his options carefully, seeing fully the situation. _He could either kill the child, quite easily too knowing his own power and capabilities. Yet something was holding him back… that name again. Mana Walker… he had heard it before. As this thought set in, believe it or not, his grin widened as an idea came to him. This boy… had no family , nothing left in this world…. And had a left arm of innocence… A new brilliant idea forged in his mind… what, what if he could train this child. Have the child live with him and his family... If this plan were to succeed, it would put a definitive end to this façade of a war._

He looked down at the child, thoughtfully coming to a conclusion, while the child was grasping the earth where moments before, an Akuma with 'Mana walker's' soul was being imprisoned. The boy now had stark white hair and a large red scar running down his left cheek masked in rivers of blood. He walked slowly over to the child with a sympathetic look on this face…. Even with his inhuman grin he managed to pull off a grieved face.

He simply looked down at what the child was clutching and asked simply "What is your name, shounen?"

The child slowly looked up and replied with grieving eyes while sobbing "Allen Walker." The man then took a seat next to Allen, feeling slightly sorry for the child. After a few moments had past with a peaceful silence, the man smiled a true smile. Not the constant smile of this form, not a fake smile, a genuine smile towards the boy named 'Allen Walker.

Allen looked up with dull, lifeless eyes but with a spark of curiosity, he asked "And what is your name Mister?"

The man looked at the Allen with sympathetic eyes and put a comforting arm on his shoulder when he replied "I am known by many as the 'Millennium Earl." Allen looked up in curiosity, as the Earl's heart melted and gave the child a full fledged hug. The Earl, at that moment, didn't quite know what he was doing, but something about this child made his heart feel warm again.

The Earl stroked Allen's white hair and asked "It seems you have nothing left to live for in this world… would you like to come and live with me and my family?" asked the Earl, offering a hand to Allen once again. Allen looked up with empty eyes, no family, no friends, nothing to live for, why not, after all, he could enjoy living with the strange man named the Earl, as Allen smiled and took the Earl's extended hand as he had been offered a new chance at life. The Earl lunged and grabbed Allen, propping him up on his shoulders and giddily bounced off, walking towards a black door that slid up, out of the ground. The Earl eagerly swung the door open and then disappeared into the darkness, telling the child "Welcome, to your new family" with an even larger smile.


	2. Chapter 2  Family

Chapter 2

The Earl eagerly swung the door open and then disappeared into the darkness while telling the child "Welcome, to you new family" with an even larger smile.

A second set of doors swung open as the Earl bounded out with a child a child sitting on his shoulders and resting on his top hat. Shocked expressions clung to each of the members' attending the meeting while waiting for the Earl that was sitting around a large dining table all with mouths wide open.

"Who is that Millenie? He looks so cute! I want to play with him!" said a high pitched girl's voice while she jumped out of her chair in excitement. Allen looked up slightly and saw six people sitting at the table, each with dark gray skin and what appeared to be crosses on their foreheads. As well as this, they each had golden eyes and different interests. Each person was doing a different activity; one was chewing vigorously on a lollipop. This one appeared to be a guy with a hulky stature and muscles bulging and had spiky black hair. Surprised Allen was when he saw in the seat opposite to this man was a black cat with what appeared to be a silver star on its forehead. Next to the cat was to seats pulled closely together with two boys, who looked around the same age about 16, sitting… well more so fighting with toy guns. One had golden locks of hair while the other had jet black spiky hair... They looked almost the opposite of each other. Next to them, a man who looked to be in his mid thirties sat with curly black hair, smoking with an amused expression on his face. The last person seated…well not so much anymore – she was standing and waving excitedly at the Earl with a curious look at their new visitor. She had blue spiky hair and looked no more than 12, and Allen quickly realized that she had been the one who yelled earlier.

The Earl spoke up clearly to clear the confusion "This is Allen Walker." He said with a triumphant grin. "He will be staying with us, and is a new member of our family. Please treat him nicely as he will be a great asset to this never-ending war." The Earl plucked Allen off his shoulders placing him gently on the ground and gesturing for him to choose a seat. Allen wandered over slowly to the empty seat next to the blue-haired girl. She seemed the closest to his own age and found comfort in that alone. Every member of the family then stood up in turns introducing themselves, with a few of their likes and dislikes. First was the man with the spiky black hair.

He stood slowly and heavily while munching on his lollipop "I am Skinn Bolic, the one who holds the Noah's memory of rage. I have the ability to turn my body into; sort of an electrical charge so anything that hits me gets a deadly shock. I like lollipops and chasing after exorcists. I don't like things that aren't….sweet" he said with his lips curing into a malicious smile.

Second it was the cat, to Allen's surprise it jumped the table then before his very eyes transformed into a woman who was standing slightly behind the table. She also had gray skin and crosses on her forehead. She said casually "I am Lulubell and I hold the memories of the Noah of lust. I have the ability to transform into any creation. I like completing missions for master Earl; I don't like foolishness and lack of planning" She sat back down, transforming back into the black cat that Allen had seen earlier.

The two boys stood up together, facing their guns at each other and boasted "We're the twins! We have the ability to materialize when we both think the same thoughts and we have the memories of the single Noah of bond."

"I'm Jasdero, hehe!" giggled the one with the long blond hair almost down to his back, as the other grinned and said "I'm Devit!"

They then faced each other and yelled with complete synchronization "Together, we're Jasdevi!" while begging to start laughing, then wresting with each other.

The man with the curly hair stood up slowly and precisely like a gentleman. Before speaking, he tipped his top hat, showing off his extravagant tuxedo and said calmly "I am known as Tyki Mikk, also I hold the memories of the Noah of pleasure. I like smoking, and don't like when that bad mannered vagabond bugs me." Gesturing to the girl with the spiky hair. The girl laughed at this with a wide grin, before glomping Allen and saying "I'm Road. I hold the Noah of dreams memories, I like candy, and don't like being bored." She then let go of the hug and sat back down with a pleased expression. Allen smiled, for what seemed like the first time ever. He knew it was his turn so he stood up boldly, even though he was actually shorter when he stood than when he was sitting on the chair.

"My name is Allen walker. I have a deformed left arm which is red and glows green near my fingers. I have white hair and a scar on my eye because Mana cursed me. I like…" He paused not really knowing what to say. He tried to continue but couldn't because he purely didn't know what he likes. Allen looked around as the whole families eyes were placed upon him but he didn't feel nervous. He simply smiled and said "I don't know what I like and dislike..." With that, the Earl clicked his fingers as a wonderful dinner appeared before them. Allen hadn't eaten in days and was starving. The Earl looked down at him with a hand on his shoulder, and said "Don't worry Allen; eat as much as you like. I'll have Road show you around a little later, to your room and where our rooms are. Fear not, for you are finally home. Allen Walker." Allen looked up resisting the urge to hug the Earl and smiled at the whole family as they smiled back reassuringly.

Allen dug into the food, devouring everything before him. He had to of eaten the whole table about three times as the supplies were instantly replenished. The whole family looked at him with amazement of his huge appetite. After eating his fill, which still left the other members of the family awe-struck, Road grabbed his arm eager to show him around. The Earl nodded as she pulled him away from the table, to show him around the house.

"Thanks, Millenie!" She shouted behind her as she wanted to get to know Allen. She smiled at him…He looked interesting to say the least. He trailed behind getting dragged along by Road while trying to keep up with his thoughts. They reached the first door as she pointed proudly and exclaimed "This is Skinn's room. He doesn't leave it much, except for the occasional mission, as well as family occasions. He is a nice guy if you get to know him." She began pulling his arm again trying to get him to move, but Allen was amazed at the door itself. It had so much detail, as well as gems studded into the side. Road quickly grabbed his hand pulling him along again. Next they came to another door, this one had different coloring. "This is Lulubell's. Since she is in her cat form most of the time, it's filled with yarn and warm milk" explained Road while giggling. She went on "Each door is colored according to the Noah's memory… Say, my door is purple because it is one of my memories favorite colors, same with everyone's." After carefully explaining each door and what they meant, she went to show him the way to each of the other rooms, such as the kitchen and the bathroom. Finally she came to the end of her tour. "Sadly, we haven't had time to build you a room yet. Ha-ha quite unexpected you were. But rest assured, they will begin work tomorrow. So, for the time being, Ol' Millenie has put me in charge of you, just so you don't get lost, you're to sleep in my room tonight."

Allen looked up at her, with truly grateful eyes and said "Thank you so much for showing me around sis- I mean um Road." He laughed slightly. Road stared at him and with a soft voice she explained "You can call me sister if you'd like. We're family now." She couldn't pin point what it was about him. He seemed so familiar. Not knowing when, or how it had happened, but she began to grow fond of Allen. She smiled and gave him another hug while leading him into her room. There was a large sized bed in the middle of the room and on the other side was a smaller bed. Every corner of the room was piled high with dolls, and plush animals. Somehow, this comforted Allen. He didn't know why, but he felt at home here, more than he ever had. _That's right, I'm finally home_ he said to himself with a slight smile before jumping into the smaller bed. Road smiled as she blew out the candles and they both drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Being the Noah of dreams, Road didn't actually sleep, just rested her eyes and body. She could freely control the dream world, even when she was awake. That is why, she was so surprised, when she wanted in her dream world to have lots of candy and her dolls with her, she only could see Allen sitting down playing with cards. She approached him cautiously and he looked up with that smile only he could give. She sat down next to him and he continued playing with the pack of cards. Road also begun playing and the two just played cards all night in their dreams. Allen awoke in a daze, wondering where he was, before remembering the previous night's events. He sat there, trying to gather his thoughts as the Earl waddled into the room casually. He placed an arm on Allen's shoulder before explaining everything. About the Akuma, about who the Noah really were, and about why they help the earl.

He simply nodded, trying to take in all this information, but relapsing asking simple questions such as "If we all work together, then what stands against us?" A shadow crossed the Earl's face, before he explained the rest, about the war, and about those who use hateful innocence 'exorcists'.

The Earl then pointed out something that made Allen go cold with rage "You know, if we hadn't found you, you probably would have been forced to become an exorcist, because sadly the material in your left arm is also innocence."Tears welled up in his eyes as he jumped and latched is arms around the earl before sobbing "I'm so sorry…But, but I won't be like them" he sniffled, then continued "I'll help you Millennium. I will help your side in the war as much as I can, because you guys are my family now, right?" The Earl simply chuckled heartily, before pulling Allen into a tight embrace and whispering "Noah or Human, whoever you really are Allen, your part of our family."Allen smiled, for the first time in his life, he truly felt like he had found someplace to call 'home'. The Earl stood, then walked slowly out of the room before turning and yelling "Your training will start at 9. Be at the parlour with ms sleepy head over there." Allen looked around, he had completely forgotten Road was still asleep in this room, oh yeah it was her room…

Dragging the sleepy Road to the parlor shortly before 9, the Earl stood waiting with a group of supposed level 1 Akuma. Allen smiled, even though he had never used his left arm, apart from with Mana, it itched to fight them. Suddenly, it transformed into a giant, metallic silver claw with razor sharp edges and glowing green flame. The Earl eyed it curiously, before sending the group of level 1s on the offence. There were a lot, but Allen should be able to take care of them easily. Allen only just dodged the first round of bullets, before charging at one of them slicing it clean in half. His left eye, it shone again, allowing him to see the positions of every Akuma in the area. There were a lot… it looked like over 20, this isn't good… Allen swiped at another, watching it explode, but there were still so many more. Frustration was all Allen could feel, this endless task of destroying them one at a time. Something inside him knew the answer, though he had never been taught this, he somehow knew exactly what to do. He jumped in the air raising his claw, before shouting "Cross, Grave!" and bringing it down swiftly even though there were no Akuma where the claw landed on the ground. Suddenly, white cross shapes began glowing on every Akuma in the area, blowing them out of this existence. The Earl smiled eager to see what else he could do and all Allen could do was smile back, before falling to the ground – exhausted.

It had been several weeks since he joined the Earl. His daily routine was fairly similar each day, consisting of, waking up for a family breakfast at 8. Getting dressed then off to training at 9, with a lunch break at 1, then training again till 3 in the afternoon. After that, he had free time until dinner, which was mostly spent either playing games with Road and Lyon in the gardens or mingling with the other Noah. He had met Lyon on his first day here, he was just a level 2 Akuma, but he loved to play games, so did Road which lead to the two becoming great friends. When Allen first joined, he didn't see any point in playing, until Road forced him too and to his surprise, he enjoyed it. The family dinner was one of the most interesting places for Allen, as it usually involved at least one or two fights. It was more of a meeting than an actual dinner, but Allen defiantly enjoyed the food. They would discuss important matters such as what to do next in the war, but usually it was just trivial matters like Road's homework.

Allen strided pridefully along the halls of the mansion, making sure he wasn't late again today for the 9am start. He reached the doors to the training floor, and pushed them open eagerly, reavealing Millennie (Allen had picked up the name from Road) sitting down holding something that looked like a stone, though it was green and glowing. The earl looked up, and then tossed the stone to Allen who caught it respectively. "This material… Is known as innocence." The earl stated bluntly.

Allen's hand holding the innocence tightened, and then an explosion of violet light as dust fell from Allen's empty hand. The earl stood there, dumbfounded, what had just happened? This boy, a regular human, an exorcist even just destroyed a piece of innocence…that can't be possible, can it?

"I hate it, I hate it, I hate the innocence" Allen muttered while clutching his head.

Allen suddenly burst out and started crying. Hot white flashes of pain rain through and racked his body useless. All he could do is lie there and scream. He had no idea what was going on, he wanted to escape it, but the pain… his forehead felt like it was going to burst. Blood… It was all over him, on his hand and arms, and on his legs. He couldn't see where but it felt like it was coming from his forehead. Trying to force the pain away for just a second, he opened his eyes and could see the Earl with a worried, disbelieving expression holding him and trying to get him to relax. Everything began to go numb; he shut his eyes once more as darkness overtook leaving him unconscious so he didn't have to deal with the pain.

He began to open his eyes, only slowly looking around. Everything was bright…So very bright and fuzzy. Allen couldn't make out any clear shapes. Suddenly his vision and senses focused, and the pain… it was unbearable. He felt himself screaming, and tears forced their way out of his eyes. He couldn't move, not at all he could feel the familiar sensation of looking consciousness again when he felt something. He couldn't tell what but he somehow know Road was holding him again. Even with the pain, as intense as it was, he managed a slight smile. The black on the edge of his vision began to seep through as he felt into the deep realms of unconsciousness and was out cold again.

_Good…Mor…ning_


	3. Chapter 3  New Life

Chapter 3

_Do you hate this world?_ A sharp voice split the darkness of unconsciousness. Allen opened his eyes, and saw none other than the Earl himself sitting at his bedside with a curious expression on his face. Allen looked up and all around him. His throat was dry and sore from screaming, and his limbs were aching. He looked down at his arms to reveal a deep gray skin tone. Surprised, Allen placed an arm to his forehead where to pain was most intense and he felt it wrapped in countless bandages. The question still nagging at him he thought about it.

_This world…Do I hate it? I was abandoned, no chance of survival when I was young. Only for being different from everyone else, because of this arm, no one would look at me. The only person in the world, who would care for me, the only one I felt save around…was taken. The only reason I lived… was for Mana. I promised to Mana that I would keep walking, keep moving forward, and I will walk the path that leads to the destruction of this despicable world. I...I can't take it… I … I… Yes. I hate this world. It's cruel way of existence, tormenting and making souls suffer. I hate it; I hate it with every fiber of my being._

Allen sat up, startling the Earl slightly, as Allen looked him in the eye, all the Earl could see beyond the silver orbs, was a strong hint of gold as Allen muttered "I hate this world…I hate it; I hate it with every fiber of my being.." As this was said, blood started to flow freely from the bandages on his forehead and his right eye cried tears and his left cried blood. The Earl panicked and put a comforting arm around the boy.

"It's alright, don't cry. We all hate this world, for what it has done to us. That's why we work together.. That's why Akuma are created. To put an end to all the suffering, because of your eye Allen, you are able to see the souls trapped inside the Akuma. I can tell, they suffer greatly, but they help us work towards our purpose. The souls of the living… they must be suffering equally if not more. That's why we create demons, and bring death, to free the souls of their torment, to end suffering for eternity." The earl explained slowly. Seeing the charcoal color of Allen's skin, was a great surprise the first time he did. The earl knew there must have been a reason he kept this child, and now he knew why. He was another Noah, another true apostle. The Earl embraced Allen while crying himself, he whispered "Welcome home. Brother." Allen cried hugging the Earl back; he couldn't tell if the Noah inside him who was crying or truly himself, all he knew was that he was finally where he belonged.

Almost a year had passed since he had first joined the Noah and the Earl. It was the happiest time of his life, which consisted mainly of training so he would be alright by himself. His day consisted of training with the Earl for most of the morning and afternoon, and then he was allowed free time. Good ol Millenie, he knew how to keep Allen's spirits high. His free time was often spent mingling with other Noah. Most regularly - Road. He liked all the other Noah, and most liked him, but Road was his favorite. He spent time with Jasdevi teaching them clown tricks from his days as being a clown. He made small talk with Lulubell and had mock fights with Skinn. He also enjoyed playing poker with Tkyi, but Allen was a master at cheating and always won. The other Noah went on missions to destroy innocence or exorcists. The malicious exorcists were said to hunt Akuma and destroy them on sight. They also hunted Noah, this scared Allen.

_These people, not only do they fight against the savior of the world, but they savagely attack his family when they get the chance. I don't get it…Why, why would they do something so foolish? They hurt his family, and probably him too if they got the chance… they all deserve to die. All of humanity, they were all doomed, but their souls should be saved… But not these people… 'Exorcists' it disgusted him even more. Their souls deserved to suffer, without ever finding salvation. 'Innocence'… The only reason those exorcists still lived. He found it to be disgusting, although his arm was certainly advantageous._

Allen gulped; he was only young and had never been sent on a mission before. Apparently, today he would be hunting for some innocence to destroy. Luckily, he was allowed to pick who he took along and of course he picked Road. She was his best friend here, always his first choice to be with. Her glomping happened almost every time she saw him now. He liked it, and hugged her back more often than not now. Millenie had said that today, he would be destroying some innocence, and whoever they came across. Allen, who of course had never killed another human being, was eager to try it. All the other Noah had killed hundreds, even thousands and exorcists included. He was jealous, but now it was his turn. The Earl had said that Road would use one of her doors to get them there, making the only difficult part actually finding the innocence. The Earl had explained that Allen was a Noah, the 14th to be exact- and had trained him to use dark matter, as well as his Noah power effectively. The Earl had mentioned that the 14th was known as the musician. This fighting style suited Allen, each note he would hum correlated with an action; Sharps for attacks, flats for defense. His abilities were even more powerful when he actually hummed a tune, instead of notes, and when he actually sang, even the other Noah were fearful. Having such powerful dark matter… it confused Allen greatly, his arm. One remaining thing about Allen that remained a mystery was why he had innocence. He was a Noah, born to destroy it, yet he himself had an arm composed of it. He shrugged it off; he would use it only when the earl told him to. Right now, his only orders were to follow Road and destroy the innocence. He was not allowed for the exorcists to catch wind of this new Noah, or that he had innocence. That must be kept secret until the 'time is right' quoting the earl. Allen felt someone squeezing on his hand, halting his train of thought. Road, of course was standing beside him, while poking him trying to get some attention. He looked down at her, the eldest of the Noah Clan, even though now, even Allen looked older than she.

"Are you ready, gah you are spacing out again? C'mon I want to get there before exorcists do" she pouted.

Allen smiled at her and replied "Alright, let's get going, good Ol' Millenie is counting on us."

A large, heart-shaped door appeared out of the ground – one of Road's doors capable of inter-dimensional travel. Apparently, only she and the Ark (where the Noah lived) were capable of it. Walking through the door, the familiar feeling of dimensions twisting around was some-what nostalgic. Suddenly, they were in the middle of a forest. According to the Earl, there were exorcists gathered here and needed to be destroyed, along with their innocence.

They walked along a dirt path, hand in hand for what seemed like hours. Even after living with the Noah, some things still scared Allen –such as being alone, he was only 13 after all. Even though most of the terrors of the night feared him more than any other, he refused to let go of Road's hand while they trotted through the darkness.

They rounded a bend, then began their march up a large hill "Awh, this is so tiring I wish Millenie let us bring Relo, it would be so much easier" pouted road as she apparently had a stone in her shoe.

Allen smiled, squeezing her and yelped "Race yah!"

Allen took off, after training with the Earl for almost a year, his speed was incredible, and surprised even himself, while Road may be one of the most powerful Noah, she specializes in telepathic attacks, not physical, but she was still fast. They ran, with Road still complaining about the stone in her shoe, as they reached the top of the hill and stared down at the large city below. Shocked, Allen almost fell over, but Road was quick to grab and steady him.

They plodded their way into down with tiered and hungry faces. Only problem was that Allen had forgot to take any money so they couldn't afford to eat. Annoyed Allen complained, as he ate ridiculous amounts of food without a second thought.

Because Allen's Noah change was recent, he didn't have enough control to change from his 'black' form yet. This also proved to be a large annoyance, because he attracted so much attention, with his white hair, young face, charcoal skin, and not to mention a large scar on his left eyes as well as 7 black crosses known as stigmata on his forehead. To counter this, Allen usually wore a large top hat when going out to cover the stigmata and most of his hair, but he still attracted an unwanted amount of attention.

It was a miracle that it was dark in the town once they arrived, helping Allen blend in just a little bit. After wandering around for awhile, they spotted three exorcists, all in their traditional exorcist uniform. Allen smiled, he may not get a chance to fight, but he was allowed to destroy their innocence. Road grinned, as if almost reading his mind and marched over to where the exorcists were headed. They reached the store that the exorcists were currently in, and overheard them questioning the owner to the possibility of any strange phenomena- usually pointing to innocence. When the shop-keeper answered, Road and Allen only heard one word – here. After hearing this, Road immediately waltzed into the store pretending to buy something, she had placed a portal, placing Allen in another dimension, where he was able to see what was going on, but not interact. The shop keeper pointed them to a well, where he said he could always hear rushing water as of late just as the town's water supply dried up. The exorcists all were working to retrieve the contents of the well, as Road silently watched their struggles from the shadows, and she knew Allen was watching as well. Finally, one exorcist used their anti-akuma weapon to levitate the glowing green substance known as innocence. Road felt it, so did Allen. The hatred for the innocence, thanks to the Noah genes. Road couldn't stand it anymore, she waltzed out from the shadows with an inquisitive look on her face, surprising the three exorcists.

They all stepped back; the leader of their platoon shoved the innocence fragment into his pocket asking coldly "Who are you?"

Road simply smiled, activating her Noah powers, trapping each of their minds within her own, slowing breaking them. All three exorcists slumped over on the ground, as Road walked up to them slowly, slicing each of their throats and they all died soon after. She collected all the innocence fragments from the exorcists then opened a portal for Allen to come and destroy them. Allen, bouncing out giddily, took one of the pieces in his hand, as an explosion of dark matter consumed it, reducing the once – feared weapon to dust.

"Well, that was easy" he remarked with satisfaction as every piece was destroyed just as easily.

Road smirked and replied "You did well, destroying 4 pieces in one night, Millenie will be pleased."

Allen smiled back at her, and then looked at the corpses of the exorcists with contempt. He sighed heavily and said coldly "You got more, than what you deserved…" Road giggled taking his arm and opening another portal taking them back home – to the ark to boast to Milennie.


	4. Chapter 4  Mission

Chapter 4

Saying The Millennium Earl was pleased at the result of the mission would have been a large understatement. A whole success party was thrown for Allen at the completion of his first mission. His heart warmed, digging in to the mountains of food that lay before him. Everyone was pleased than Allen was feeling at home, and the Earl had bigger plans for him.

The next few years were spent with training so hard, Allen felt almost indestructible. The Earl would issue Akumas of varying levels to group together and fight him. Level 1 and 2s were so easy that he didn't even have to try. Level 3s proved more difficult though he still had no trouble. Level 4s on the other hand, he could beat them, if it was just him vs. them, and not a swarm of others as well, but thanks to the earl, all fights with level 4s were fair which meant that Allen always won. He had two main choices in battle he could use his dark matter / Noah abilities or his accelerated innocence that looked vaguely like a clown now.

Flashback

_Explosions. Hundreds of them in every direction as level 3s were directly hit by 'Cross Grave' exploded immediately, but those who dodged it slightly were left with a few limbs missing. Allen was quick to finish off the rest using a simple trick of transforming his hand into a cannon, shooting the rest down with ease. He Earl still smiled, smugly at Allen as if he still had something in store._

_A little boy began running towards the Earl, which made Allen life his head with a jolt. What was the Earl playing at today? Allen collapsed onto his knees, grabbing at his left eye. Where his eye had once been, the empty socket began to overflow with dark matter. He tried to contain himself; this pain was almost as bad as when he had received the stigmata, grimacing at the thought. He managed to lift his head, just enough to see the little boy…and what was arising from his back. Allen knew instantly that he was an Akuma and that was the soul….but it looked nothing like any soul he'd ever seen before. The level 3s he had encountered, their souls looked like they were suffering, but this… was too much. The curse on his left eye amplified, letting him see the soul clearly, but also making the once red scar, jet black. The pentacle seemed to burn itself into his forehead more than ever before, it looked more like a tattoo than a scar now… Allen forced himself to stand and look directly at it. _

_The Earl simply said "begin" as the level 4 threw its human skin off. The Akuma resembled an angel, with wings and an almost human like face. From the instant the boy entered the room, Allen knew there was no way he'd be able to destroy it, his arm, his innocence and Noah powers, just weren't strong enough yet. Crack. Allen looked down in surprise, his arm, it was shaking, shifting changing appearance completely._

_Now, it looked like it was armored in black, thick plate instead of looking red and deformed. He knew it had changed, as if reacting to his desire to put this soul to rest. 'Activate'. There was an explosion of white light. A mask hovered above Allen, and then floated down landing around his neck, as a white cloak wrapped itself around him. He looked down at his activated arm, to his surprise, it was looking like the black arm he had before, but instead, it had long, slender black claws, with what looked like crowns as wrist guards._

"_I look like a clown" announced Allen._

End Flashback

It was defiantly useful in battle, to be able to have a shield because of the body- armor form that his innocence took, or to use his Noah ability, which proved very deadly. Since his memory was the 14th – the musician, his head was constantly humming with notes, tunes and with every action there was a note accompanying it. The sharper the note he hummed, the more damage it did, while flat notes worked the opposite way, creating a complex defense system using sounds to rattle the opponents brain. The way he fought made him almost unbeatable, only susceptible to few flaws of his physical power, but his skill in other areas compensated for that.

In the years he spent with the Earl, Allen had also murdered many exorcists which have him enormous satisfaction. He and the Earl had made a deal, since keeping his identity secret was so important, until the right situation arose, he was to be a strict assassin -leaving no trace, and no one left alive to recognize him. Allen acted very professional about his killings, taking no risks. Firstly, he made sure that no golems in the area were still transmitting, and then he would split them up, if there was more than one target. This was not usually very hard, and Allen had mastered the technique. Destroying their innocence gave the greatest thrill he could imagine, and he often relished the moments when the exorcists drew their final breath.

Another progression Allen had mastered was transforming into his 'white' form, with still the same white hair and red scar but no stigmata's remained and his skin color went back to white. He had only mastered changing into his white form a short while ago and it gave him one of the greatest surprises of his life.

Flashback

"_Dammit Road, I just can't do it, no matter how hard I try, I just can't change back into my 'white' form. "complained Allen to a frustrated Road. She simply sighed and explained "Listen Allen. You have to find a way to recover your own 'white' form. We all did. For most of us Noah, it's a simple memory, just think of something that makes you a human and you'll change back." Allen pondered over this for awhile, and still was clueless. He tried desperately; think of Mana he told himself. Nothing happened. Allen sighed once more- very disappointed. Suddenly, the feeling that had been nagging at him for months now, gave Allen a bright idea as he asked curiously "Hey Road.. Is love a human emotion?" She started at him, dumbfounded, not knowing how to reply, she gulped and said "Uh, I think the Noah inside all of us loves all the other Noah memories, but yeah I think love is a human emotion, but it would have to be when you loved someone as a human." She smiled to herself, impressed at how knowledgeable she sounded. Allen smiled at this and gave it one more go, he pictured himself, first being taken to the Ark, while the Noah were introducing themselves. Then he remembered the feeling of when Road glomped him in front of the entire family making his heart flutter. Suddenly Road was yelping, Allen quit day dreaming as Road was shouting that his skin, his skin was changing back to white. Allen was overjoyed, he couldn't believe it worked! "So, what did you end up thinking about" mumbled Road interrupting his thoughts. He smiled back at her and simply hugged her then said "The first time I met you..."_

From that conversation lead on the growing affection and love for the Noah known as Road Kamelot.

Allen and Road had just gotten back to the ark when one of the Akuma maids said that the earl wanted to see Allen in private. Allen nodded, ruffling Road's hair before he walked off to meet the Earl.

Whenever Allen walked into the Earl's room, he always had a growing sense of nostalgia, apparently due to his Noah genes. The Earl sat up from his desk, piled in telephones greeting Allen heartily before running and hugging him, congratulating him for his success on his recent missions. The Earl then looked down at the ground before looking back at Allen and then muttered "The search for the heart has begun."

_Allen was shocked, the heart! The heart was rumored to be the most powerful piece of innocence in existence. It was the only piece said to have enough power to destroy the Earl, and only the Earl was able to destroy it. It held the war in its fingertips, if the Exorcists laid their hands on the heart, the war might end and they would win. If we got to the heart however, before the exorcists had a chance, we could destroy every piece of innocence in existence. _

Allen grinned, and his eyes danced from the excitement of hearing this "So, I'm guessing you have an assignment for me then?"Questioned Allen, still with the same look of enthusiasm on his face. The earl grinned sheepishly and replied "You are to work, undercover at the order. You posses innocence therefore you can become an exorcist there, having access to all the orders information on the heart. You are to become one of them Allen, having to go on their missions, and destroy Akuma with your innocence and strictly no use what so ever of your Noah abilities or your black form. We have decided that it is time to reveal you to the world!" he announced grinning with malicious intent.


	5. Chapter 5  Masks

Chapter 5

"We have decided that it is time to reveal you to the world!" grinning sheepishly. Allen's excitement disappeared, leaving a slightly worried expression.

"Um, does that mean I can't come back here, for the entire duration of my service?" asked Allen, worrying.

"I'm afraid so." The earl replied solemnly. Allen swallowed the growing lump in his throat as the large grin returned.

"Working undercover huh? Sounds… fun" he said with dancing, golden eyes shadowing a malevolent smirk. The Earl grinned at hearing this and continued on with the information of the mission.

"To get you inside, we need to gain some of their trust. Take the ark to a city called Layts on the out skirts of London. Unusual phenomenon has been reported around there recently, and we can only guess it is innocence. I have gathered a large assortment of level 2s for your use. The exorcist that is in route to take the innocence is reported to not have a high synchro-rating and be clumsy making him a sitting duck for these Akuma. We shall arrange it so he is ambushed in an un-winnable situation, and you will go rescue him in the nick of time, saving him and guaranteeing a position in the order. Once inside, you will communicate information through your dreams, to none other than Road. She won't physically be there with you on this assignment, but she will be there for you in your subconscious. Once inside the Order, Road will communicate your next position and what to do from there on out. Careful Allen, you will have to completely hide you Noah and your 'black' form. Also, the Order seems to prefer mild mannered children so play nice" explained the Earl, winking at the end.

Allen snickered at this "Heh, play nice? I'll give it a shot. The only part worrying me is not seeing my beloved family for possibly months." He pouted with a grimace.

The Earl then began to chuckle and replied "That's not entirely true. You will indeed to run into them from time to time, and you'll have to act as an exorcist, even then. They will most likely find a way to communicate with you before the encounter, so be mindful."The earl abruptly stood and waltzed over to Allen giving him a crushing embrace before breaking into tears then beginning to bawl "We'll miss you Allen Walker. Good luck!"

Allen returned the embrace, and exclaimed "So, when am I heading out?"

The Earl sobbed back "Tomorrow morning" Allen nodded politely and bid farewell to the Earl. There were many things on his mind now, no matter how calm he pretended to be, and how many times he reassured himself everything would work out, truth be told, he was concerned.

_What if they found me out? Would they kill me? Torture me? Force me to tell them the Earl's secrets. No I can do this, they'll never find out. I just need to wear a mask of pleasantness, and flattery. _A wide grin spread across his face as he thought to himself _the earl was right…. I guess I'll just have to play nice._

Allen paced down the arks halls with a rather prideful expression, exited about his new mission. He saw in the distance, an open door which looked like Road's. _Weird_ he thought to himself. Deciding to see what was going on, he approached cautiously, and carefully opening the heart shaped doors to see a sobbing Road on her large bed. She heard someone approaching, and then slowly looked up, to see a wide-eyed Allen staring back at her.

_Oh no he saw me... dammit what can I use as an excuse. Umm, Relo wasn't around and I had no one to play with?…no, he'd see right through that. Uh maybe, I hurt myself somehow? Gah he already knows that's not really possible. Not good Road, not good…_

Allen, seeing the sobbing figure, instantly walked over pulling her into a tight embrace. "What is the matter Road?" he asked, trying to keep the urgency and worry from his voice. It was weird, seeing Road like this, the usually carefree, stubborn and sometimes sadistic teenager, in tears.

Road seems surprised and kept stuttering until she finally made some sense of her words "I.. I err, I um heard you were going on a mission... Millenie said it could take months… I... I just um... I don't know" she sobbed. Allen just held her closer and nodded, as she returned the crushing embrace. "I'm, I'm sorry, I just… err I just.. I don't know." Allen rested his head on hers, and whispered "I love you." Hearing his voice waver as he spoke, he started to break a sweat, dreadfully hearing her reaction. For what seemed like hours, she just sat there, in his lap hugging him. She lifted her head to return his gaze, but before she could speak, his lips met hers as she gasped him amazement.

As the darkness escaped, he heard someone calling his name. _Allen_. He shifted his weight slowly, rolling over onto his back as he heard the call again. _Allen!_ This time it was louder as he tried to collect his thoughts he heard the same voice but clearly this time "Baka Allen. It's time to get up, or you'll miss your only chance for the whole mission!" He opened his eyes to see Road shaking him, demanding that he got up. He sat up trying to realize what was going on "Where am I?" he stuttered. "Baka Allen, you should remember. Hurry up and get dressed or you're going to be late" The memory hit him like a lightning bolt. Oh…Right that's where he was and he remember clearly everything that happened the previous night. A smile spread across his face before THUD. Elbow in the stomach, body slammed by Road, as he began coughing and spluttering he sat up. "Allen! Go get dressed you have 5 minutes before you have to go!" she pouted as Allen dragged himself out of bed collecting his gear and wandering off to get dressed.

He was dressed in his usual attire of a back vest over a white dress shirt, with white gloves and black trousers and boots. He began to walk towards the doorway to the town where he would become allies with exorcists… What a disgusting thought. As he began to actually think about what he was doing, he heard light foot-steps from behind him. He instantaneously knew what was about to follow, as sure enough he was glomped by Road. He looked at her, pecked her on the cheek and headed off all in a single motion. Allen concentrated for a moment, before watching his charcoal skin recede to a pale- white, as he sighed heavily. "I guess this is how I'm going to look for awhile" he muttered to no body.

He waltzed through the darkness until he found the other door, leading to a raging battle at hand. He instinctively climbed a tree, and sat steadily on one of the high branches – _that's what happens if you hang around Road too much_ Allen thought sighing. There must have been 50 to 70 Akuma, all level 2s with the exception of one level three who had evolved mid-fight. The other side, there was one man with long white hair and a Marhal's jacket.

_Marshal? They were meant to be really strong with over 100% synchro rate. The Earl said that I'd be saving someone who was supposedly hopeless… I wonder if this is all a big misunderstanding. There is no way this is the guy who I'm meant to be saving, but then again, saving a marshal would get some serious credit Allen surveyed the terrain close to the general, before spotting another exorcist cloak which lay on the ground filled with dust. Allen could guess what had actually happened, then noticed this one had silver embroidery, not gold. Ah, so there was his target… I guess that he and the marshal were traveling together, oh well. This marshal guy doesn't look fun... I guess I'll just have to make this more interesting...besides; there is no way these level 2s could even hope to stand a chance against a marshal…Unless._

Allen smirked as he hummed a certain melody, he didn't know where it came from, but it was engraved into his memories just as the stigmata were engraved into his forehead_. _The marshal's eyes widened in terror, as every one of the level 2s began seizing up. Every single one of them evolved into level 3s. The Akumas themselves had no idea why, but it was wonderful, they now easily had enough power to take down this resilient prey. The marshal was clearly in a tight spot, having sent his accompanying finders away, so they would not be harmed. He was done for, when miraculously there was a white flash, then explosions. In every direction, the akuma shone with white crosses and then exploded into nothingness. The marshal stood, in front of the only remaining Akuma – the first level 3 that evolved before the others, the marshal desperately searching for the one who had saved him. Finally, he laid his eyes upon a young boy with white hair, who looked around 15. From one side he looked completely normal, except for the white hair, but as the marshal shifted his view slightly, he saw the left side. A black scar ran from above the boy's eye-brows and down to his lower cheek, not only this but he had no left eye, just a empty socket overflowing with darkness, as a circular gear seemed to materialize in front of it. As if this wasn't enough, on his left side – where there should have been an arm, there was a monstrous looking claw, with elongated black edges, as well as a cross on this hand, which was black and inhuman all the way up to his shoulder. The marshal recognized the material instantly. Innocence. Another white flash, as the level three tried desperately to back away, the boy was already right in front of it holding one of the black claws in front of its face, before slicing down in an instant. The once-fearsome level three instantly exploded and the mysterious boy was left standing over where it once stood as his arm morphed back into a somewhat looking human arm, but his arm was still black and looked like armor plated it.

The boy reared, and turned to leave as the marshal shouted "Wait! What is your name boy?"

The boy looked around, with a curious almost innocent expression on his face and murmured "Allen Walker sir."

The marshal returned the smile and walked up to him placing a hand on his shoulder before saying "Thank you, for saving me. I'm General Yeagar, and by the looks of your clothes, you're not an exorcist?"

Allen looked up innocently at the 'general' before replying "No General. I just go around killing these things if they attack people. That's all." The general couldn't help but smile, such an innocent boy, going around protecting people. This boy already had innocence, and the right frame of mind, but he was not part of the order. It was a general's duty to recruit new exorcists and send them to the Order for training or personally train them. Yeagar sighed as he said calmly "Listen, you have a material called 'innocence' in your left hand, which makes it…different. You need to go to the Order to help save more people and collect 'innocence'. I would take you to the order myself, but I am currently on a mission, and it is only a short distance from here anyway. Also, I would like you to take this with you." Then he handed Allen a crudely drawn map of the surrounding area pointing out the location of the Order, as well as a glowing green fragment of innocence, which had probably belonged to the dead exorcist. "I'll also send a letter letting them know you'll be joining us, to Komui, and letting him know about that innocence. Don't you go loosing it now, boy. Are you ready to become an exorcist, Allen?"

Allen smiled up at this so-called general before him and shook his hand eagerly before announcing "I'm ready, General."

The innocence was an unfortunate turn of events for Allen, as it burned his skin, even from its place in his pocket. It tormented him that he couldn't just destroy it, and had to act as some kind of courier. Allen sighed, then moved swiftly into town where he faced one of his greatest personally problems – not getting lost.

Allen had already been wandering around the streets for hours, trying desperately to follow the crudely drawn map of the Orders location left by 'general' Yeagar. Allen always got himself lost, no matter where he was, he always managed to lose his way.

He shuddered as he remembered those poor Akuma he was forced to slay. They had mostly been trusted servants to the Earl and himself, and felt terrible about destroying them, even if it was for a mission. That general had so much innocence on him, it filled Allen with cold rage that he wasn't allowed to destroy it. Even now, he found it hard to control his Noah urges when he came into contact with the substance, and right now, the piece in his pocket felt like needles in his spine. He could barley stop himself from destroying it, if it came into contact with his bare skin, Allen didn't think he had enough control to stop himself. This was the closest thing to torture for him.

Finally a frustrating thought struck Allen like lightning

_It can't be… I just realized, this map, it seems like... No, seriously? It looks like this place in off the coast. Now that is just...aggravating._

Placing back on his mask of a young boy, he casually approached one of the captains and asked "Are any ships available to take me over to the large 'rock' protruding like a mountain from the ocean..." The man laughed; insultingly back at Allen, before grunting "There is no way I'm taking a Bean sprout like you across the channel, especially not in this bad weather. If you like, you can buy a row boat and row yourself across, but with those lanky arms…" He trailed off before bursting into laugher again.

Allen snapped. In an instant, the large man was off his feet, and Allen crushing his windpipe with ease.

_STOP_

Allen forced himself to release his iron grip, as he smiled maliciously back at the captain, who was now trying to soothe the large red indents left in his throat. Allen ran his fingers through his pocket and pulled out 100 guineas, which was not much to him, but the captains eyes bulged. Allen walked off flinging the money on the ground before turning back and saying simply "Fine, I will row myself across." With that, he walked outside into the freezing rain then began to laugh coldly, terrifying the captain who was now shaking.

Allen began the treacherous row across the channel, barley lifting a finger. It was much easier than that captain had implied, and before no time he was at the base of a massive cliff that looked almost 300 feet high. Seeing no other option, Allen sighed as he began the long climb.


	6. Chapter 6  Exorcists

Chapter 6

The climb wasn't nearly as bad as Allen was anticipating. The only problem was golems, in their hundreds fluttered around watching every move he made and because of this, he was forced to act like a weakling, slowly hauling himself up each step, even though he could jump almost 10 ledges at once. Sighing, Allen slowly dragged himself up the last ledge until he was at the top of the cliff, as he huffed, pretending to catch his breath, he knew the people watching him must be coming to a decision about what to do.

It was a cold night within the order, like every other as a mysterious boy climbed the whole cliff before looking intently at a golem. The whole research division was gathered to decide what to do with this stranger. Section Leader Reever spoke up first "Hey, why is there a kid climbing the cliff? From the way he looks, I highly doubt he just wandered here." Komui sighed, shuffling his way through the mountains of paperwork covering the floors to grab a warm mug of coffee from Lenalee. She looked at the boy with curiosity before asking "What should we do with him?"

Komui smiled and replied "We'll just wait and see what the gatekeeper has to say about him" lowering his glasses slightly, to better inspect the screen.

Allen was frustrated, to say the least. Walking slowly towards what looked like the entrance, the buzz of golems constantly keeping him company he tried to swat off the ones that landed on his shoulders.

Finally reaching the gate, then sighing and putting his mask of childishness back on before yelling "Is anyone home? Someone I met earlier told me to travel here!"

Suddenly, monstrous eyes and a large crusty mouth appeared from what seemed like nowhere, in the entrance. "INSPECTION! This scan will tell if your human or AKUMA" it yelling startling Allen as he looked up wide-eyed. Allen begun to freak out, this was not what he was expecting.

_Shit! what do I do? What if it can see the Noah inside me? It said to tell if I am an Akuma, which I'm certainly not, but what if it can detect Noah…_

The gatekeeper looked down at the young –white haired boy for a moment before thinking

_What the hell is wrong with this thing, I can't see an Akuma, but I can't see his insides either. I wonder what that means, wait, what's that?_

A pentacle on the boys forehead,… pentacle… Akuma's are the only ones who have pentacles…

"THIS GUY DOSNT PASS, HE HAS A PENTACLE ON HIS FOREHEAD. HES A KILLING MACHINE SENT TO DESTROY US ALL!" Yelled The gatekeeper into the night, startling the researchers watching the event.

_How, how the hell did this thing realize I'm a spy? This isn't good, not even a day has passed and I've failed my mission, shit what will the Earl do. Oh I'm so screwed..Wait… He said that I was an Akuma, not a Noah.. Maybe they don't realize who or what I am…. Oh I get it… he can see my scar._

Allen pretended to looked shocked and scared before wailing "No, no you've got it all wrong, I may be a tiny bit cursed but I'm no Akuma!"

In the room full of researchers, a full discussion was proceeding who to send to eliminate this Akuma. Reever complained "Come on, don't we have any exorcists here?"

Lenalee replied reassuringly "Don't worry; Kanda is already on the move."With that, all the researchers turned back to the screen eager to watch what happened.

A shadow with long blue hair and cloak bellowing in the wind descended rapidly before landing on the roof with ease and years of practice. A deep voice bellowed towards the young looking boy "You've got some guts coming here all by yourself!"

The shadow was more visible now, revealing a reasonably tall man with long blue hair. His chest was covered in bandages, but his eyes showed no fear, pain or mercy.

Allen, trying to ignore the recent events, started to think about the situation he'd gotten himself in.

_Shit, what should I do? I could kill this guy, easily, but then the Earl's plan would be ruined. If they truly know that I am an ally of the Millennium Earl, they will no doubted kill me… though from what that gate thing just said, they might think that I'm an Akuma… Maybe I can prove that I'm not without killing this arrogant looking man here… I think I'll disarm this guy, he looks dangerous and without my Noah powers, I won't be able to.. Destroy him…though ill let him make the first move. Yes I think I'll just play into the 'innocent kid' situation a little further._

Allen stuttering madly as he tried to explain to the other man staring him down "It's got to be a misunderstanding, I, I was sent here by Marshal Yeagar." while shoving a hand out to indicate meaning no harm.

The man just smiled and muttered "With my Mugen, I'll…" before pulling a large sword from his jacket. It began glowing madly, as Allen was left to think of a solution.

_Shit, that's innocence. I can't destroy it… I'll have to disarm and incapacitate him with one movement… Since he thinks I'm a kid, I can play that in my own favor..._

The swordsman charged and jumped down while raising his sword about to strike. He brought the mighty weapon down, which should have been a direct hit, but it only sliced into the soft ground. Startled, there was a white flash as the swordsman felt Mugen being removed from his grip. Without a second to react, he was thrown against a nearby tree and pinned, handing there by his cloak which was now pierced by Mugen, which was thrown with enough force it completely impaled the tree, and it protruded out the other side. Kanda, slowly opening his eyes, to see the white-haired boy walking slowly over to him, then relaxing and taking a seat with his back resting against the tree which Kanda hanging. Kanda shot him a death-stare, still barley knowing what had happened and the boy, gave an innocent smile before explaining "That is what happens when you attack someone – unprovoked, and let appearances get the better of you… Isn't it, Mr. Kitchen Knife?"

The room where the researchers had been watching was now ablaze with action. People looking in slow motion at what had just happened before their very eyes. They slowed to footage down, to 0.1 frames per second, still only to catch a glimpse of the white haired boy, casually dodging the vicious blow, then removing the sword from Kanda's grip before throwing it against a tree with Kanda's cloak impaled on the end as well. The researching department was a mess, with papers flying everywhere, before everyone stopped dead still as they heard a voice over one of the golems. "Listen, I'm not here to fight you, someone named Marshal Yeagar sent me here to become an exorcist. Apparently, my left arm is made of something called 'innocence'. I apologize greatly about pinning Mr. Kitchen knife to a tree, but it is his fault for trying to kill me…" Then he added "By the way, I was told that a letter of referral was sent to someone named Komui." All madness erupted in the research division as all the members glared angrily at the supervisor who simply shrugged.

"You there!" he bellowed pointing to a simple scientist, "Find that letter, it would be on my desk..." he trailed off. The scientist went pale, looking at the mountain of paperwork on the supervisor's desk. He began to rummage through the endless paperwork before finding a recent letter addressed from Yeagar.

"I think I found it!" yelled the scientist excitedly.

"What are you doing? Read it out man!" shouted the supervisor.

_Dear Komui_

_I will be sending a kid named Allen Walker to you, he saved me from certain death and he isn't even an exorcist. I would train him myself but I am currently on a dangerous mission, so I sent him to be trained in the Black Order. Take Good care of him_

_Yours sincerely, Marshal Yeagar._

Komui put a hand on Linalee's shoulder before whispering, "Uh I suggest you go break it up between our new member and Kanda..." She nodded thoughtfully before setting off. Through the golems, the staff could see the boy smile innocently at them, before walking slowly over to where Kanda hung, sitting down and resting his back against the same tree.

Kanda glared at the child, still not knowing how he had been disarmed so easily. The child merely smiled back up at him before easily pulling the sword out of the tree, making Kanda slump to the ground. He chucked the sword casually to Kanda, who just kept glaring. Both swung their heads around to see the gates opening as a female figure stepped out.

She waltzed over to where Kanda and the boy were sitting before asking "what is your name, boy? The man next to you is Kanda."

Allen looked back up, smiling innocently and replying "My name is Allen Walker miss. What is yours?"

"I'm Lenalee" she replied firmly.

She helped Kanda up first, and then gestured for Allen to follow her.

They first entered the gates as Kanda began to storm off in a different direction as Allen yelped "Wait, Kanda is it? Nice to meet you." Offering his hand as the Earl had told him was polite. Kanda merely replied with "Tch, Who would shake your hand knowing that you're cursed." Allen shuddered; this hit him hard as no one had really mentioned him being cursed as a bad thing before.

"Don't worry; he's just on edge ever since he came back from his last mission. Come on, I'll show you around." She began to walk off as Allen simply sighed and followed. They passed two guards muttering quietly. Even though no normal person would be able to hear then, since Allen was the Musician, his hearing abilities were far beyond extraordinary. He heard every word loud and clear _"A new member, eh? What? He's just a brat. Besides that, what's up with his hair? He looks like an old geezer. Is that okay? That he's just a brat? Well, age has nothing to do with innocence." _Allen heard the whole conversation, which made him fight the urge to slaughter all these people who dared insult him. Back home, the only one who would joke with him was Road and she would only play around, Allen already hated this place, which was to become his new home. Black Order…Exorcist… the mention of either name filled him with disgust. He followed the woman known as Lenalee, without uttering a single word as she pointed out names and places that he would have to remember.

"This is the dining hall. This floor is the practice hall. This is on the third floor. The lounge. There's also the sanatorium, the library and everyone's own rooms; I'll show you those later. Exorcists all leave here for missions. Therefore, they call these headquarters home."

_Home... the word stung. This would be 'home'? No… this place would never be home. Home was the ark; home was with the other Noah, Relo and the Earl. Home was where the people he loved called 'home'._

"And this floor is?" Allen said calmly returning to the conversation.

She replied "This is my brother's."

At the end of the hall there was a strange looking man, wearing a French-looking hat and glasses.

"Yes! Hello!" he welcomed. "I'm the supervisor of the science department, Komui Lee! I welcome you Allen" while taking over from the tour, leading Allen down a long staircase with workers in the science department visible. "That was quite the fiasco earlier, eh?" Komui remarked as the rest of the science department yelled back "And whose fault was that?"Although Komui ignored the angry shouts and lead Allen to a strange room filled will all kinds of drilling equipment. "Well, may I see your hand?" He said casually with a mischievous grin. Allen gulped; he didn't expect them to check his arm. He rolled up his left sleeve revealing blackened skin. Komui inspected it closely, before asking "Can you activate it?"

_Damn. This isn't good; he didn't want to reveal the extent of his power to these people just yet… If only he could activate it in its old form. Allen thought about it and decided to try it. Activate!_

His left arm suddenly changed into a large silver claw, completely unproportionate to his body size.

_Wow, it worked. As if it reacted to Allen's thoughts, the innocence changed back into its old, weak form._

Komui smiled, putting the drilling equipment away remarking that "Well, since there is no injury it would be no use trying to treat something that doesn't exists now wouldn't it."

Allen smiled, as Komui made him shuffle onto an elevator. "So you're a parasitic-type then?"

"Eh?" Allen replied with a grunt, never having of heard those words before.

Komui explained "Parasitic-type innocence. It is one of the rarest forms of innocence. Unlike the equipment type innocence, parasitic enables you to change a part of your body into a weapon. Sadly, parasitic type wielders don't live long, and die young because the immense power of the innocence wears away their bodies." Allen shuddered.

The elevator began descending at an incredible speed as Allen muttered "Innocence.." They reached the bottom as the surroundings became dark and only five large chairs were visible all with men seated with long, black cloaks.

"That is, the innocence of god." Muttered a voice from the chair on the far right.

"The power of omniscience and omnipotence" said another.

"We have gotten our hands on a disciple, once again" replied a third.

"Our bosses, the commanders-in-chief" explained Komui. "Now… show your merit to our leaders." he continued.

A bright light shone from behind Allen as he saw long white tentacles wrapping around him, lifting him into the air_._

_He knew instantly who this was, and was considering what to do. It was said that this being had been completely consumed by innocence, but because that, she could hear commands from innocence's polar opposite – Noah. The Order was apparently unfamiliar with Noah, so she wouldn't be able to blurt out anything about him to the crowd…He would use this to his advantage._

She pressed his head against hers, saying aloud his synchro-rating to the entire audience. 12%, 15%, 17%, 21%, 25%, 32%, 39%, 45% 52%, 65%, 72%, 83%... as she was about to continue feeling this boy's synchro rating was possibly over 100%, a loud clear voice cut her off.

_Stop._

It commanded and she fell silent, placing the boy back on the ground. She eyed him suspiciously before continuing "It seems the highest possible synchro-rating this boy can have with his innocence is 83%."

The men sitting at the chairs seemed pleased and so did Komui, as they began to explain about innocence 'saviors' of the world', and the 'evil' millennium earl. Allen laughed to himself coldly on this inside knowing how flawed their information was and how little they had of it. After leaving the meeting he made his way to his room, eager to tell Road about his first day, using the one time he would be able to contact her, his dreams.

Meanwhile in a dimension far, far away…

"Tyki! Play with me!" pouted Road with a bored expression.

"No, go find Lero or someone and leave me alone." Tyki replied, sighing heavily.

"I can't!" she complained "Millennie took him for some stupid mission, and Lyon is out on a mission…So is Allen- so I've got no one to play with." She pouted. Tyki looked back at her with, what was it… almost sympathetic eyes? No way, that's not like him. He replied calmly "Listen, Allen's mission has been quite hard on us all. He was an important member of our family who we won't see for maybe months. The earl in particular seems to be taking it quite hard, as I haven't seen him without puffy eyes and tears streaming down his cheeks yet today. Lulu's being more antisocial than normal without anyone to complain to about her manicures. It's hard on me because I now have no decent opponents to play cards with anymore"

"Decent? I thought he always smashed you?"Interrupted Road.

"That's because he cheats! I just can't catch him out…but, when I do. Well that's not the point, you should be more positive about it. Look at Skinn for example; he is using this time to practice eating competitions so he may finally beat Allen when he gets back. The twins, they are also practicing juggling and some other clown tricks, but I must say without Allen there to direct them, it just turns into food fights…"Tyki replied trailing off. "Oh yeah.." he added slyly " Your dad is also glad seeing as now that Allen is away, you two won't be all over each other…"

Tyki winked as Road blushed heavily before inquiring "Hey Tyki…What do you think dad would do if he found out what Allen and I did last night?" as a large smirk crossed her face.

"Er, what did you and Allen do last night?" he replied casually.

"Nothing" Road added quickly.

"Ah I see. Well, judging by this 'nothing' you keep hinting at, I'm guessing Allen is a dead man if Sheryl ever catches wind of it."Tyki said casually, as Road started giggling hysterically. "Back to the point, we all miss Allen. Besides, you're lucky, you are one of the few people who get to see him."

"What? I do?" she almost screamed, catching Tyki off guard almost making him fall off his chair.

"Um, yeah you've forgotten already? You're meant to get information off him in your dream world, because you are the Noah of dreams after all…"He realized what he had done but it was too late. She was in a frenzy, jumping around like a maniac.

"Really, really, really? Do you think he's asleep now? I want to see him right now!" she ran off skipping happily out of the door as Tyki tried to call out after her but it was no use. It would have to wait till tomorrow, he thought as he sighed heavily.


	7. Chapter 7  Complication

Chapter 7

It was dark, barely lit by the multitudes of candles hovering around him, the trees made out of lollipops and the path he walked, he could see made of out all kinds of sweets. He sighed, and yelled "Where are you?" He herd giggling, but it echoed and it sounded like it was coming out of the walls, before he was tackled to the ground. He was about to speak, but she put one finger over her lips, indicating to be quiet.

He nodded and shrugged, as if asking why. She looked at him sighing before opening her mouth to explain "Listen, this is my dream world Allen. I can speak freely because I am not truly asleep. Whereas you are, so the things you say, you say in real life and other people at the Order will hear you. This is my dream world, and because of that, I can read your thoughts…" she trailed off, realizing this Allen blushed heavily. She giggled at his reaction and continued "Nice job on making it into the Order. Millennie also says congrats, and we all miss you already…" trailing off again getting lost in her own thoughts, made Allen laugh as he thought to himself

_Cute…_

"I don't actually know if you actions here are also carried out in real life… So I'm going to play it safe." She said with a wink, kissing him on the cheek before the realm collapsed, leaving Allen to face reality again. He yawned casually, before scouting his room for anything suspicious. Soon he found a golem fluttering in the closet, which disturbed him greatly… He laughed slightly; glad he had taken Road's advice in his dream.

Loosing himself in his thoughts, he was alerted to a high pitched – shrill voice calling his name "Allen-kun, wake up. My brother has a mission for you." Allen sighed, pulling on his exorcist robes, before gazing in the mirror, studying his scar which had turned pitch black when he encountered a level four for the first time. He then realized he had to go and was quick to mask his expression of longing, with the same fake-smile adorning his face that he had worn the day before.

He stepped out of the room, walking slowly down the large stone halls, trying to remember where Komui's office was. After wandering around for what seemed like hours, Allen finally stumbled upon what he thought were the doors to Komui's office, but in reality, he stumbled into a full dining hall. Allen smelt the fresh food being prepared as he began to drool… It had been almost a whole day since Allen had eaten. Granted, he ate double in his last meal with his true family, he was still starved. The cook seemed to notice the new boy, standing at the doors with saliva dripping to the floor, as he yelled "New member? Looks like a cute kid joined this time" rushing over to Allen's side with a pan and specula in hand.

Allen was dumbfounded, then instantly bowed down replying "Nice to meet you, my name is Allen Walker." The chef smiled, curling his fingers in his long pink dreadlocks "How wonderfully polite! What would you like to eat? I can make you anything!" he asked, not knowing the magnitude of what he had just said. "Anything, you say…." Replied Allen grinning mischievously then continued "Then… Potatoes au gratin, French fries, dry curry, mapo tofu, beef stew, meat pie, calpaccho, nashigoren, chicken with some salad, some scones, Tom Yam Kung soup in a cup, rice, and after that, for dessert, some mango pudding and skewered dumplings….make that 20 of them!"He announced with a wide grin. The chef stood there, dumbfounded at what he had just heard being ordered, "Are you… sure you can eat all that?" he inquired. Allen simply nodded and sat near the counter on the floor. He wasn't sure about the social structure at the Order, and all the seats seemed occupied with people in weird looking suits, so he decided it would be best if he didn't disturb them.

"Oi! Over here kid, your order is up!" shouted the same chef, pressing the bell around 5 more times than necessary. Allen shook his head, trying to rid himself of the ringing sound; he walked over to the bench and collected his massive order of food, before placing himself back on the ground. He dug in, devouring the whole meal within 5 minutes. As he collected his plates, and placed them back at the other window where the dirty plates seemed to go, he saw in the midst of the tables, a fight had broken out between that exorcist he ran into the other night, and a man in the funny suit. Komui labeled them finders… sort of like the Earl's Akuma, except that they are hopeless against any kind of real danger. Allen walked over to the scene and simply smiled at Kanda, pissing him off more than intended.

"Hey, Baka bean sprout, Komui has a mission for you."Kanda yelled, directing Allen in the correct direction, before knocking his opponent out cold and trailing after Allen.

_How dare he, where the hell did 'bean sprout' come from? After I even left his innocence in-tact, if he calls me that one more time, I swear, it'll be the last thing out of his mouth._

Allen finally reached the familiar doors of Komui's office before Kanda pushed past him and swung them open with a familiar "Tch"

Komui shouted greetings as both Allen and Kanda sighed. "Well then!" he bellowed "We don't have much time, so I'll keep it short then you two can get moving."

"You two?" Kanda and Allen yelled simultaneously.

"With this cursed, bean sprout?" complained Kanda. Allen clenched his fist… one moment, if he lost control for just one second, everyone in this room would be done for…

"That's right! You two, together!" beamed Komui. Allen took a seat on the large couch, as Kanda did the same, both facing away from each other. "What, what?" asked Komui in a curious tone."What don't tell me you guys aren't good buddies yet?"

"They've been like this since the moment they met." Remarked Linalee who was sitting on the opposite side of the room, inspecting her nails.

"Don't be selfish yet! We've discovered some innocence in southern Italy. However, it seems that the Akuma have discovered it as well and are going for it."

_Baka's… Akuma don't just 'discover' innocence. Nor do they just 'go' for it. Only the Noah and the Earl are smart enough to actually figure where this stuff is…These people really know nothing._

"So we must hurry to the scene, in order to defeat the enemy and protect the innocence. You can read the full details on the way…That's all." Concluded the supervisor with a mischievous grin.

Allen emerged through a dark hallway barely lit by the rows of lamps adoring it where he found a small boat, along with Kanda, and what they called a 'finder'. "Do I really have to wear this?" Allen grunted, tugging at the long exorcist cloak.

"It's proof that you're an exorcist." Replied Komui stepping from the shadows with a wide smirk and continued. "It's made for battle, so it'll be worth its weight in gold."

Allen jumped into the boat, eager to get this over and done with. He laid eyes upon Kanda's sword, feeling the presence of innocence, and then began fidgeting trying to distract himself. Komui yelled "Good luck on your trip" after them as Kanda replied with a typical "Tch."

For what seemed like hours, they rowed through the darkness. Allen was finding it harder and harder to concentrate, as the innocence next to him seemed to be taunting him. Trying to distract himself, he decided to play cards with the finder, who was called 'Toma'. Endless matches against Tyki back at the ark had made Allen almost unbeatable at every sort of cards. He was a master at cheating, counting cards, all of it. Allen won every game, and if they had been playing for money, Toma would have been very broke. They hit what seemed like a rock, as it threw everyone in the small boat forward, but Kanda quickly jumped off the ship and so did the finder. They both began running, at top speed towards a train that was just leaving. Allen simply sighed; he really didn't feel like running so he hummed a low note. A flash of white, all Kanda could see was a blur as Allen was already sitting on the top of the train smiling and waving back at him and the finder.

The train ride was far from comfortable. Even with a first class cabin, Kanda was forced to watch the white haired boy sleep, or try sleep himself, but didn't want to risk missing the stop. Kanda sighed once more.

_What the hell is this kid? He moves so fast, it's impossible, almost as if…He doesn't, but time itself slows down. He acts so innocent, and something about him makes me believe that he is… But then again, he's cursed. How the hell did that happen to a kid so young?_

Kanda was busy pondering in his thoughts, as Allen was pretending to be asleep. In truth, he was in incredible pain. He started shaking, he couldn't hold himself still, and his white form…was beginning to crack. He hadn't been in his 'black' form for over a day, and it stress was beginning to show. The pain…It was unbearable, he couldn't do it. "Ugh!" he grunted grabbing his hair and pulling as to try distracting himself. Allen thought this was just a side effect from being in his white form for so long… he couldn't have been more wrong.


	8. Chapter 8  Loyalty

**Side notes: The main point of the OC in this is to show that Allen is the same Allen from both the Manga and the Anime. He is the same, caring, loyal person and I wanted to show that he is still the same person. Sorry to all who don't like the AllenXRoad pairing, but it is one of my favorites, and I might add other pairings as the story progresses, anyway here is the new chapter. It's a bit rushed, so please review and share thoughts, as well as ideas for next chapters.**

Chapter 8

_Thump, thump. (Heartbeat)_

_What the hell is that boy doing? Kanda thought to himself very frustrated._

Kanda tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for the kid to shut up. He looked like as he was pulling is hair out for some reason. Allen slowly looked up at Kanda, his right eye crying blood as his left – where his eye had been moments before, was just an empty socket, with black mist billowing out. Allen seemed to curl up, biting his hand to contain the pain, as the finder knocked panic stricken on the door, hearing the commotion moments before.

_Thump, thump._

"What the hell is going on baka bean sprout?" Kanda roared furiously. Allen grabbed his right eye with his spare hand, indicating that was the problem.

_What the hell is going on… My eye, it hurts, it hurts as much as when my left eye upgraded to the second level of the curse after seeing a level four's soul for the first time. My right eye… I can't feel it anymore; it feels the same as my left… I can feel my heart pounding in my chest, but why is it that I can hear another heart beat as well as my own?_

_Thump, thump._

"_Good…Mor..ning." whispered a voice in the back of Allen's mind._

"…_Neah? What are you.." Allen thought back franticly_

"_My, my you've shut me away for some time now boy."He mocked_

"_That's because I'm on a mission, where they can't know who I am." Allen replied truthfully_

"_Fair enough, the real reason I'm here is to help you through this." Replied Neah, his voice overflowing with what sounded like grief. Allen was dumbfounded, help him through what?_

"_What…What is happening to me?" Allen asked._

"_Don't be disheartened boy, some of your true Noah abilities are starting to awaken. Even though you are the Earl's 'Musician', you are the Noah of Destruction. Think of this as a gift from the true Noah of Destruction – Neah, to the host carrying the memories – Allen Walker."_

A brilliant light shone from Allen's right eye as he looked back up to see Kanda staring down at him. Allen's face twisted with disgust, as his stomach lurched.

"_Do you see now Allen? How tortured each soul is even amongst the living, they deserve to be set free. This whole world needs to be set free, liberated from this suffering, in order to rest in peace for eternity." Neah's voice drifted off, leaving Allen a mess on the floor._

_Thump, thump._

Allen still shaking, then grabbing his knees with his arms muttered "I… can see now. So much suffering… I'm… sorry." Allen flopped back on the seat, passing out immediately. Kanda sighed, and sat back. Where the blood had been flowing on his right eye, it now seemed completely fine, as did his left.

_What the hell is happening to this kid?_

The train had finally reached their stop, and Allen still lay unconscious. Kanda nudged him with his boot before taunting "Baka bean sprout doesn't look like he's well enough to get up. I guess a whole train ride is a bit tough on someone so small." Hearing this Allen awoke, propping himself upright before trotting out of the cabin following Kanda and Toma. They both broke into a run, towards the town which held rumored innocence, leaving Allen stumbling behind trying to catch up. Kanda unsheathed Mugen, preparing for battle naturally, as Allen just walked behind them. Allen's left eye this time activated revealing several Akuma in the town just ahead. Then without warning, Allen's right eye activated, showing him that the only life in the town were the Akuma, and Kanda and the finder.

Human souls looked different to the Akuma's, but they were all suffering equally. Kanda's however, looked to be suffering more than the finder's and seemed to be chained just as the Akuma were. However, these chains were not purple, dark matter, but glowing green innocence instead.

_How pathetic… Exorcists are just like Akuma. They both shouldn't have to suffer in this existence, and have to walk this earth._

Allen hummed a few notes, and in less than a second, he was miles past Toma and Kanda, heading towards where the Akuma had gathered. They seemed to be chasing something so he ordered them using his Noah.

_Stop. Come to me._

Every Akuma instantly stopped; as their pentacles shone brightly they all flew over to where Allen was standing.

_I'm sorry. I have to act as an exorcist for my mission, and I am currently here and am meant to destroy all the Akuma I come across. That means- you all have to self destruct._

The Akuma all seemed disappointed at this command, then they all destroyed themselves, exploding into millions of pieces except for the only level two in the back. It just stood there, gaping at Allen, before Allen realized who it was.

{Flashback}

"_Hey Allen, I know you've only been living here a few weeks, but I want you to meet my friend. He's been living here with me ever since I moved here. His name is 'Lyon' a level 2 Akuma, though he's really nice." _

_Allen looked up startled as the little boy charged him and tackled him to the ground yelling "Your it!" before running off with Road. Allen decided to join it, it looked fun and he had often seen other children playing this game on the streets when he traveled with Mana. Allen crept around the bushes before spotting the Akuma and pouncing catching him off guard, making them both tumble to the ground laughing heartily. _

"_Hey Allen.." Lyon began cautiously "Road says that you and her were good friends. I was wondering, could I be your friend too?" his eyes gleamed with hope, finding another friend meant a great deal to the young Akuma and he had been lucky enough to keep Road company for months now._

_Allen smiled back innocently and Lyon before chuckling lightly and replying "Sure! Why wouldn't I want to be your friend Lyon?"He questioned. _

_Lyon looked down shamefully before answering "Because I'm just an Akuma." Allen put a comforting arm around Lyon with a gigantic grin and saying calmly "Why does that matter? Besides, I think it would be so cool to be an Akuma. I mean you guys get to fly that would be so awesome!" Allen flopped over lying on his back looking thoughtfully up at this sky. "I think it would be so cool to look different, and have special abilities and all. Since I'm, 'young' for a Noah, I can't do anything yet… But when I'm old enough it will be so cool!" Allen smiled happily at Lyon who just stared back in disbelief. Allen continued with the same childish tone "And I bet you look so cool in your real form. Ooh please show it to me Lyon!" he almost pleaded. Allen sat up, looking for an answer when his eye activated revealing the soul of the Akuma named Lyon. Allen had seen countless other souls with his eye during his time here and Lyon's actually seemed to be smiling back at Allen. Lyon smiled, for the first time it seemed in his entire life, he was truly happy, he then nodded and allowed himself to shed his human skin revealing his true form. He looked like some kind of jester, with a clown costume and a painted face. He looked down at Allen before grabbing him and floating around making it seem like Allen could fly too. Allen was overjoyed, as tears of happiness flowed from his eyes…Lyon reminded him of Mana when they worked as clowns. _

_After hours of playing around in the gardens, Allen finally decided to talk to Lyon. "Hey Lyon, we're friends right?" he asked, already knowing the answer. _

_Lyon laughed heartily before replying "Of course, what makes you ask Allen?" _

_Allen shifted his gaze before answering "I was just wondering what it actually means to be friends." _

_Lyon, only ever making two friends in his life as an Akuma, smiled at Allen before replying "I don't really know. I do know that friends don't ever hurt each other, that is one thing." _

_Allen seemed to smile at that answer, before asking "Hey Lyon, promise me something. Don't ever hurt me okay?"_

_Tears welled up in both their eyes and Lyon replied "As long as you don't ever hurt me either" Allen pulled the boy into a hug as they were both whimpering. "We swear it!" they shouted in unison._

_Road, who was watching the scene thought something disturbing to herself …__**The worst part about humanity, even this Akuma has more humanity than a good portion of mankind**__…._

{End Flashback}

Time seemed to stand still as Lyon hovered there, with the innocence in hand gaping at his friend, now wearing the exorcist cloak. Allen's eye could see Lyon's soul, clearly now and it was crying. Crying over the pain of having to fight one of his only friends. Tears welled up in Allen's eyes, as a large lump arose in his throat, remembering the vow he swore many years ago. Allen stared at Lyon with despair evedent in his eyes before using his Noah to command Lyon once Allen reached a decision within his heart.

_Run, leave the innocence with me and run! I'm not going to break our promise, now go before you get killed. _

Lyon couldn't hold it any longer; tears cascaded down his painted clown face making the make-up run, as he threw the innocence before running for his life. He said a silent goodbye to Allen as he flew off into the darkness.

Kanda and the finally reached the scene where there were several destroyed buildings, with Allen standing casually throwing the innocence up and down in his gloved hand.

"What happened here Bean sprout?" Kanda almost shouted, in truth he was disappointed all the action was already over. Allen simple grinned before tossing the innocence to Kanda who caught it easily.

"Oh, well I found the Akuma with the innocence, and then destroyed them." Allen responded casually, brushing off the dust from his cloak. Kanda turned his back to the finder and Allen, and stalked away so he could receive orders for his next mission, apart from Bean sprout bursting into tears on the train, this mission was just a boring waste of time.

Kanda voiced his thoughts with a typical "Tch" before leaving their sight. Allen sighed, before slumping over, in truth this had been a long day and Allen really needed some sleep. Toma half carried, half dragged Allen to the train stop before leaving him to rest, slumping over a bench. Toma then contacted the order, letting them know about the success of the mission then receiving orders to bring Allen back immediately. Toma smiled something about this boy made him feel safe.

Allen, who was still slumped over asleep on the bench when Toma arrived, began muttering strange things. Toma could only pick up singular words, but they sounded desperate "Where are you? Please come back…Don't leave yet…Road." The boy must be having a nightmare; Toma thought has he draped a blanket over the sleeping Allen. Toma decided to wait here until the morning train, while Allen was fast asleep.


	9. Chapter 9  Reunited

Chapter 9

_Everything was dark. There were no lights, and he seemed to be in what looked like a maze. There were walls on either side so he slowly stumbled along, trying to find his way. "Where are you?" he called out desperately into the shadows. He saw a figure at the end of his path, as it gestured for him to follow. It was shining, and had the image of a young girl as it began moving away from Allen. "Please come back!" he called out desperately after whomever it was. "Don't leave yet!" he began shouting, as realization hit him. "Road…" he muttered before he was swallowed up by the darkness once again._

_Whoosh _A large gust of wind startled the young exorcist who had been sleeping peacefully on the bench at the train station. Toma lay down on the ground below Allen, shuffling a deck of cards before looking up at him and smiling. "The train will be here any minute now; I received orders to take you directly back to headquarters." Allen sighed; he didn't feel like going back there, and now after that weird dream… He sighed again collecting his thoughts. Allen yawned lazily while his stomach growled fiercely, asking his next question for him. Toma chuckled and said "There will be plenty of food on the train if you can be patient, it should be here soon." Allen smiled, it's true, and one of his weaknesses was food. He wondered just how much food they would have on the train, drooling slightly. This didn't go unnoticed as Toma smiled again before mentioning "The Order heard from Jerry about your appetite. I'm sure they'll have a good supply of food, enough for even you." Allen snapped back into reality, wiping the saliva from his chin before grinning with a devilish face. Toma shrugged it off and went back to shuffling his cards.

A wave of dizziness struck Allen, making him loose his balance stumbling slightly. He looked down cautiously at his hands, which the tips of his fingers were turning to a charcoal color.

_Not good…_Allen thought to himself as he desperately tried to think of an excuse to get away, even if for a minute.

"Hey Toma, are there any bathrooms around here?" He asked casually, while hurriedly pulling his gloves on so the Finder wouldn't notice anything.

Toma replied quickly "Down that dirt path and to the left. I'll wait here if you don't mind, the train might arrive." Allen was glad of this before striding down the path yelling "Thanks!" back to Toma who simply sighed and went back to his cards.

Before long Allen broke into a run- he needed some privacy and fast. He rounded the corner, finally sighting the small public toilet as he rushed inside, locking the door swiftly after him. He relaxed slightly feeling his skin change into an ashy color and his white hair curling at the ends. Most noticeably, were the 7 black scars on his forehead, known as stigmata. Allen sighed with relief; no one had seen him in this form, so his cover was safe for now. He put both his hands behind his head before sighing heavily, and looking around the interior of the small room. It contained only a small toilet, as well as a roll of toilet paper, with a stone floor and walls, making was cold inside. Allen began searching for any signs of any golems that may be watching him. To Allen's surprise, he spied a small, cracked mirror in the corner of the room. He picked it up, looking at his Noah appearance with a smirk. His grin was soon to dissipate as both his eyes activated, forcing him to look at his own soul.

Horror spread its way across his face as he saw his soul – well souls. One was of the Noah form of himself, it was suffering horribly, more than he could imagine. More than any of the Akuma he'd ever seen, it was in so much pain, and was glowing with violet dark matter. His other soul was of the true Allen Walker, which was bound by glowing green chains of innocence. Surprisingly, this soul was suffering just as much as his Noah side which made Allen wonder. He smiled to himself, he truly did have a 'black' and 'white' form. Like Yin and Yang…

He pondered over this thought before hearing shouting from outside "Allen! The train has arrived; we have to go, now!" Obviously the finder had come to locate Allen so that they wouldn't miss the train. Allen sighed, he wouldn't be able to relax in his black form very much on this mission. With that thought, he waved goodbye to himself in the mirror, before the crosses on his forehead shrunk back and his skin paled. Allen watched the mirror as the Noah soul in the mirror now seemed the less prominent one, which he guessed, whichever form he was in that soul had more control over his body. Allen chuckled to himself, before stepping out of the small room, still holding the cracked mirror. He ran over to the finder, and the two walked hurriedly back to where the train was awaiting them.

Again, they were treated like royalty given a first class cabin which was decorated in expensive looking red cloth, with luxurious plush cushions. Allen collapsed on the comfy seats as Toma sat down outside. Allen was deep in thought when he heard a knock on the door. He opened it to reveal a plateau of food set out for Allen. He grinned, quickly pulling the whole kart into his room before shutting the door as politely as he could muster. He tore through the mountains of food in only a few minutes. Toma stared at him in disbelief, watching him consume what must have been more than double his body weight. Allen placed down the cutlery politely before lying down, drifting off into a peaceful sleep. Toma watched the boy with interest, before sighing and sitting back outside where his cards were awaiting him.

_A familiar sensation hit Allen, the eerie darkness, the flicker of candle lights- all so nostalgic. "Please come out!" Allen yelled into the abyss with only the echo replying 'come out, come out..' Allen drifted through the darkness and the mass of candles, before finding a dim light which seemed to be at the end of a tunnel. Allen walked through the darkness, eager to find out what was going on. Although he moved with a steady pace, the light only seemed to be growing dimmer as it finally disappeared completely. "No…Don't leave me" Allen heard himself whisper to what seemed like no one. 'Allen' he heard something call out…It didn't sound like Road, but he recognized the voice. "Allen" it said again, this time clearer. Allen outstretched his hand into the darkness to try touch whatever was calling him. He felt contact with a soft material before feeling the rush of the dimension collapsing revealing reality. _

Allen looked up revealing a panic stricken Toma looking down at him with worry evident in his eyes. Allen removed his hand from the finder's garments, and used it to lift himself. Toma offered a hand but Allen shook his head politely, propping himself up to a seated position. "We will arrive in town in about 5 minutes. I just thought I should wake you up beforehand" the finder said with obvious pride in his tone. Allen simple smiled before thanking him. Toma left the cabin immediately, leaving Allen to his thoughts and problems.

_What's with these weird dreams? I need to contact Road but I can't find her..I hope something hasn't happened to her…What am I thinking? This is Road I'm talking about, there's no way she could be hurt or anything. _

Pushing that thought to the back of his mind, Allen placed the exorcist cloak lightly over his shoulders, before standing up preparing to get off the train. Toma opened the door, gesturing for Allen to follow as the train had finally arrived at the small town. They walked slowly; the town was bustling with people which made it hard to find their way through the crowds. They eventually reached a sea port; after Allen had already got himself lost…twice. Toma sighed as they reached their destination.

"AKUMA!" a sharp cry pierced the air. Allen turned around, and decided to investigate what was going on. He walked off, humming to himself, before he literally disappeared before Toma's eyes, allowing Toma only catch a glimpse of a white hair streaking into the town.

"Allen! Come back!" He yelled franticly into the empty space around him.

Allen stopped humming when he reached the source of the cry. There was a crowd of people gathered around a small boy who looked 10 or 11 and was stood pointing at an older man with a cloak shadowing his face. Allen could tell that the man was an Akuma, even without using his eye, but Allen was interested to see how the situation would play out and how the Akuma would react to its public exposure.

The Akuma began to sweat, placing his arms around the child's mouth, "Sorry, I was just playing into this kids game" he explained to the crowd. There were many grunts of annoyance as the crowd dissipated leaving the Akuma standing alone with the boy and only a single silent observer. The Akuma smirked, before shredding his human skin, making the small boy crumple to the ground.

Allen sighed, deciding to use his innocence, not Noah to destroy this singular level 1. It was over before it even began, Allen's black claw slicing through the hard outer shell with ease, as it exploded into dust. Allen's arm returned to normal as he began to walk away. The boy, who had previously been huddled on the ground, jumped over Allen's shoulders with an amazed look on his face, proceeding to ask Allen a flurry of questions, not leaving Allen enough time to respond, let alone think of a response.

Before Allen realized it, the conversation had shifted in an entirely different direction, turning into a series of insults directed at Allen's height. He clenched his fist and began to grind his teeth, who ever this boy was, he just wouldn't be quiet.

Allen sighed once more before the boy finally said "By the way, I'm John!" John eagerly took Allen and showed him around the city, before dragging him back to his house for dinner.

He had plenty of maids working for him and his family, so Allen guessed that they were well off. When Allen ordered what he wanted for dinner, everyone wore shocked expressions muttering about how much that would cost, whereas Allen just kept wearing his fake smile.

After the meal, John took Allen back up to his room, showing him various inventions he was working on. After concluding the tour, there was a strange knock on the door. Allen slumped over in a chair on the far right of the room while John cautiously approached the door "Who's there?" He asked, opening the door slightly, enough to see who his visitor was. A boy with short, golden hair and gleaming green eyes stood there smiling as John shouted "Leo!" then grabbed him pulling him inside of the room. Leo walked around the room slowly, tapping some of the inventions before moving on to the next. John seemed overjoyed to see his old friend and completely forgot about Allen sitting in the corner who seemed to be asleep.

Allen was far from that, he was watching Leo carefully. Allen's eye could easily see the soul inside, but he wasn't sure how to destroy it without John getting upset. Allen sighed again, and decided to just watch as the two boys caught up. Still chattering John was asking "Hey Leo, I know since your mums death it has been hard and all, I was just wondering if there's anything I can do to help?"

For the first time since he had entered the room Leo spoke up with a low, calm voice "If you'll come with me, there's something I want to show you." John smiled, placing his boots on before running off with Leo. Allen sighed; he guessed he'd have to save John now. Allen slowly stood up, inspecting the room before seeing the two boys run down the alleyway. Allen jumped out the window with ease, following them closely.

They arrived at an eerie graveyard not much later as a waxing moon hung low in the midnight blue sky. Hundreds of stars lit the sky, as John was taking in his surroundings he murmured "So you wanted to show me your mum's grave? It's alright I know it must be hard and all." Leo just slowly walked into the graveyard, with his eyes fixed on the empty stone road ahead. John began to follow facing his old friend trying to determine what the matter with him was when he bumped into a large shadow that hadn't been there seconds earlier. The shadow materialized, revealing a tall, round man wearing a top hat. His eyes were covered in glasses, and he wore a smile that could have swallowed John whole. John stood there, gaping at who he instantly knew- The Millennium Earl. He had only ever read about The Earl, - the enemy of mankind. John turned and tried to run, but Leo just stood there looking up at the Earl with the same childish smile adorning his lips. "Run! Run or he'll kill us!" Shouted John in desperation as Leo just stood there, in what looked like a trance.

"I'm sorry but your friend Leo has been dead for a long time now." Said the Earl in a mocking tone.

"No…It can't be" John whimpered before falling to his knees.

"He died on the day of his mommy's funeral." The Earl persisted

"No…Leo can't be, there's no way Leo's an Akuma!" he shouted disbelievingly at the Earl, who simply smiled back.

Allen, who had been watching the scene from behind a gravestone, could no longer hold his excitement.

"Millennie!" He yelled, tackling the Earl to the ground who looked stunned. Tears began to flow down the Earl's face, as well as Allen's as he began "I missed you guys so much!" he managed to sob. The Earl hugged Allen back, truly amazed that fortune had blessed him in seeing Allen again so shortly. John was looking at the scene unfolding right before his eyes_; no…it couldn't be…Allen is an exorcist. There is no way he is working with the earl…_

Allen shoved his head into the Earls side, using his coat to wipe away his remaining tears before a mischievous grin returned to his face. "So, did you guys all miss me?" he asked casually, but his eyes looked like they already knew the answer.

The Earl managed to chuckle in-between sobs, and he managed to croak "We're so sorry Allen. We were planning to meet up with you, using Road's dream world. Sadly, she has gotten sick with just a cold, but none the less, she has been trying to contact you through your dreams but unsuccessful." The Earl hugged Allen even tighter, knowing this could be the last time he would be able to see him for a long time.

Allen had a worried expression as he asked "Road's sick? Is she alright?" his voice was almost pleading, but he already knew the answer to what he had asked.

The Earl smiled before replying "She'll be fine. It's Road after all…" Allen chuckled in earnest, before looking down at John who stood there, gaping at Allen. He was too busy with his reuniting, that he had forgotten about his observer.

John couldn't believe what he was seeing, this couldn't be happening.. "Allen?" he asked, obviously terrified. Allen released his grip on the Earl, before standing up as his skin turned from a pale color to almost ash, and black crosses engraved themselves on his forehead. He smiled maliciously at the boy who had just hours before mocked him. It was pleasant to see his eyes widen in terror. A callous smirk crossed Allen's face as he tried to decide what to do with the boy… He had seen far, far too much to be allowed to live, but torturing him might be fun.

He turned to the Earl, who was still sobbing and sniffling loudly before inquiring "Hey Earl, do you need this boy for anything, or can I play with him a little?" Allen laughed coldly

As the Earl sobbed back "Go ahead, just don't worry us again but not contacting us okay?" Allen smiled back at the Earl, not with a cruel edge, not a fake smile, a genuine smile only given to his family as he replied "Okay, I promise." Allen turned back to John, still with the malicious look in his golden eyes. The last thing John heard was a note, one single pure note as darkness engulfed him.

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	10. Chapter 10  The 'Real' Allen

**Side note - Sorry for the short chapter folks, and also sorry to all those who haven't seen the anime as this chapter will probably not make much sense.**

Chapter 10

The note rang in his ears, as he lost sight of what he could once see. All in John's vision now was Allen, simply standing by the side of the Millennium Earl, wearing a sadistic smile before uttering "Sayonara…John" - words of a demon but with the voice of an angel. His ears still ringing, as he saw his entire life flash before his eyes, a single tear slid down his cheek as he spoke his final words "I'm sorry, dad."Everything around him collapsed, as his heart beat stopped. Leo kneeled over the corpse, as tears began to fall from his eyes. Even though he was an Akuma, he mourned the death of his once- best friend. Allen stood, looking down on the boy who had been so lively only hours before with almost sad eyes. The Earl twisted his head around in a confused manner before asking "What did you do to him?"

Allen closed his eyes, waiting a minute or two before replying "I sung him a final lullaby, before saying farewell – forever." A tear rolled down Allen's cheek not really understanding why. "I know their just worthless humans…but something deep within me feels sad at seeing a child's death."

The Earl's face changed upon hearing this, he stared at Allen with almost understanding eyes before muttering "No matter what we do, we are all still human. No matter how much we burry those emotions, they still exist. I am human in that my love for my family is a very human emotion indeed. You still feel for the humans you meet because you were one of them, and you want to save them correct?" Allen was astonished at how much the Earl understood, shaking himself off, he nodded slowly. Allen stared again at the corpse of John before saying "The best way to prevent further suffering is through death. That is my gift to you…John."

After what seemed like minutes of silence, the Earl spoke up "You want to come home, don't you Allen?" Allen smiled back at the Earl, his smile not completely covering up the home-sick look in his eyes.

"I must complete my mission, but I miss everyone dearly." Allen replied solemnly, trying to hold back his emotions, but his voice cracking at the end of his sentence.

The Earl waddled over to Allen before placing a comforting arm around him "We all miss you too, brother."

The two talked long into the night- about anything and everything. Allen discussed how he felt about the exorcists as the Earl simply listened. He also told about his dreams, and about his right eye, which greatly intrigued the Earl. They acted like best friends, talking about everything with each other. Before Allen realized it, the sun began to rise, bringing a crimson dawn into view. He and the Earl sighed heavily, knowing their time was at an end. Allen stood, offering a hand to shake, but instead the Earl just pulled him into a hug. Allen laughed, but enjoyed it all the same; it had been days since he had seen his family. The Earl finally broke the contact and stood up straight, saying "I'll see you later, Allen." He disappeared into smoke as Allen caught himself smiling. He sighed as he stood up; realizing he had completely forgot about that finder. Allen set off, beginning the long search for Toma.

Walking around the busy streets for what seemed like hours was to no avail. Allen gave up, before heading back to where he had last seen Toma where he had heard John's cry. He was surprised to find the finder, still sitting in the same spot shuffling a card deck. He looked up slightly as he saw someone approaching, then he realized who the 'stranger' was and yelled "Where have you been!" His arms were flailing wildly, as he knocked over his carefully arranged playing cards. Allen couldn't help but laugh, _humans were so amusing_…

He smiled before looking up at Toma and replying "I was caught up in some business involving some Akuma. Everything is alright now though." Toma at this point, was beyond red, he was very displeased to say the least that Allen had abandoned him leaving him no choice to wait for his return. He promptly grabbed Allen's arm, directing him to the boat that was meant to be taking him home. Another finder was already sitting in the boat, waiting for him. Allen hopped in the small boat, as the finder began rowing towards where the Order was located. The journey was spent in complete silence, Allen who was musing over his thoughts was glad that this finder wasn't talkative. He spotted the familiar shape looming above them – The Black Order. They entered the dark cavern in silence, except for the lapping of water at the edges of the small boat. They reached the docking station as Allen nodded thoughtfully to the finder who smiled in return.

Finding his way back to his room had been harder than anticipated. He managed to get lost…again. After coming across the same room four times now, frustration began to set in as Allen paced around desperately trying to find another living organism. He relaxed and let his growling stomach lead him. He found himself in a familiar position only one or two rooms away from the dining hall as he bumped into Linalee carrying what looked like several mugs of coffee. She looked stunned, to say the least at the direction Allen as heading and was quick to stop him. "Uh, there's an awful mess and you don't want to go near the dining hall" Allen smiled before replying "Really? Oh, well I'll just help clean it up then" "No! You can't go in there!" with frustration evident in her voice, Allen backed down slightly before agreeing not to go near. She then suggested "Hey, how about you help me deliver some coffee to the researchers?" Allen shrugged before smiling again and replying "Sure"

Once the two reached the research floor, there was no one present. They wandered around for awhile, before finding the room where what seemed like the entire research division was gathered. They were all looking up at a large robot, almost as tall as the roof. It had six legs, along with pink stripes down its body. Its head looked like a large rectangular box with a single eye, and what looked like a French Berret. Allen looked up at the magnificent robot in awe, having never seen an actual machine except for the Akuma, and they could hardly be considered just machines. Allen walked slowly with Linalee offering coffee around the group as everyone gladly accepted. A metal arm shot out of the robot, picking up the mug with pink bunnies on it and sipping it while Allen wondered who the mug belonged to.

"Amazing…Robots can drink coffee..." He muttered

He was met with laughter by Komui who stood proudly showing off his work "Don't be silly Allen! He is designed to be just like me, but there is no way robots can drink coffee." The robot finished guzzling down the cup placing it back on the plate as the whole research division looked at it with wide eyes "h...He drank it" stuttered Komui, looking truly fearful. There was a large electrical spark, as the eye color of the robot changed from blue to red, indicating something was wrong. A few more short circuits and sparks were flying everywhere; the whole room seemed to be cowering in fear, looking at the robot with scared eyes. "I am Sir. Komurin the Second. I strengthen exorcists for battle!" It said, while sparks still flew everywhere.

"Yes, yes that's very good Sir. Komurin" Komui tried to reassure the robot, who began moving shakily towards the group. The robots eye seemed to lock on to Linalee, following her, as she began the back away slowly.

"Immediate SURGERY is needed to make this woman more MANLY!" It shouted, before beginning to walk forward trying to grab her. Screams erupted from the crowd as Linalee backed up and tried to run away. Komui was on his knees crying "My poor sweet Linalee! No, no this can't happen!" The section leader Reever was shuffling through a box of old inventions, before finding what he was looking for. It was a laser gun, capable of blasting the robot to pieces. Komui, obviously not wanting his work to be ruined, jumped out disarming him and shouting "Don't you DARE hurt my precious Sir. Komurin!"

"Don't you care what happens to Linalee?" The leader shouted, as the chief burst into tears once again muttering about fate cursing him having to choose. Multiple arms shot out of the robot in an attempt to grab her before she could move. It would have succeeded, but Allen decided to help out a bit. He dived in front, successfully pushing him and Linalee out of the way and into a mound of papers. Needless to say, they ended up in a very compromising position, as Allen saw a look he recognized only too well coming from Komui. "GET OFF MY PRECIOUS LINALEE YOU FILTHY OCTOPUS!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, and only one thought struck Allen.

_Oh god…Not another Sheryl!_

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	11. Chapter 11  'Complexes'

Chapter 11

{Flashback}

Tyki wanted revenge. For always being cheated in cards, it had only been 2 years since the boy named Allen Walker moved in with the Noah but he managed to fit in extraordinary well. Somehow, he connected with each different Noah by excelling at an activity which they both liked. With Tyki, it had been poker. When they first started playing, Allen was fairly naïve of the game, but quickly honed his skills. This was still not usually enough to beat Tyki, so he began to cheat. He soon became a master at that and was very quickly unbeatable. Tyki hadn't won a game against the boy in what seemed like years, but he knew it had only been a few months. Still, that was enough to frustrate him, as playing against the boy always ended up with him in his boxers, while Allen smiled innocently back at him. He'd had enough, it was time for revenge. Knowing how sensitive Allen was to any kind of alcohol is why he had chosen to 'taint' his drink with some scotch. The effects were visible immediately, with Allen unsteady on his feet, stumbling slightly as Tyki asked if he wanted to play strip poker. Allen of course, accepted, even in his current condition, there was no way he could lose to Tyki. Road offered for them to use her room, thinking of the consequences if either one lost which just made her smirk. Instantly, Road could tell something was wrong with Allen, as his words were slurred, and he fumbled with his cards accidently revealing some in the process. She was furious that Tyki had drugged him, but then again this would mean that Allen would lose which made her giggle at the outcome.

They had only played a few hands, but Allen was losing sorely. He was now down to just his dress shirt and trousers and Road observed keenly. It was time for them to reveal their cards again, and Tyki modestly placed his on the table. "Royal straight flush?" Allen yelled in disbelief, hearing himself slur the words and stutter near the end. This was it, he had lost. He gulped and removed his dress shirt, shivering slightly while doing so. Allen stripped off his trousers leaving only his boxers and threw the pants at Tyki before yelling 'You, you cheated..." before falling back and passing out from the small amount of alcohol. Tyki laughed, unable to contain himself, he had finally beaten the cheating boy! Road rushed over to Allen to make sure he was alright before complaining to Tyki "That wasn't really fair you know…"

"I know" he replied nonchalantly with a flick of his gloved hand before packing up the cards. He tipped his hat as he departed, leaving a semi-naked, unconscious Allen alone with Road. He laughed slightly; this would be interesting to find out what happens. Road herself wasn't quite sure what to do, she had never seen Allen without a shirt and it was an amazing sight, but he seemed to be out cold. She sighed before simply lying down next to him, falling asleep almost instantly.

Allen awoke, with his head pounding; feeling like someone had drilled a hole through it, as his vision was defiantly blurred. He could feel something on his chest, but couldn't muster the strength to sit up, so instead he just groaned. He heard a distant voice, not quite understanding what it was calling for, before he heard it again. "Road! Wake up sweetie!" it called again_. That's what it was! The thing on Allen's chest, Road must have fallen asleep on him...But when did that happen_? Allen managed to open his eyes enough to see that he was not wearing a shirt_. What the hell happened_? He thought to himself franticly. "Road, I'm coming in to check on you dear." the voice called out again but with a hint of worry. Allen knew he recognized the voice, but he could not remember where he'd heard it before. The doors slowly began pushing open as Allen lay on the floor, his eyes open to a blinding light, when he finally made out the figure of none other than Sheryl standing at the door, his mouth gaping and his eyes wide in shock. He dropped the plateau he was carrying as it shattered when it hit the floor, gasping at his daughter lying asleep on Allen who was only wearing boxers. _Shit. How am I going to explain this?_ Allen thought to himself desperately. He managed to prop himself up into a sitting position, disturbing Road as she sat up sleepily to see her father looking down at them with a glint of insanity in his eye. Allen began "T..This isn't what you think, I ju-"He was cut off by a large cracking noise, as Sheryl prepared to speak. "Oh, I see how it is…Usually… you INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO THE FATHER BEFORE SLEEPING WITH HIS DAUGHER" He screamed manically. He pulled a monstrous axe from what seemed like nowhere before charging at Allen with a murderous gaze. Allen didn't have a choice, no matter how much his head pounded, he shot up and barely dodged a deadly blow which hit the ground, smashing it to pieces right in front of Road who just rubbed her eyes sleepily. "YOU OCTOPUS!" Sheryl roared, charging towards Allen again. This continued for several minutes before Road managed to put a stop to the fight.

{End Flashback}

Allen was snapped back into the situation at hand when he heard Komui yell "SIR KOMURIN THE SECOND. I HAVE A NEW MISSION FOR YOU, DESTROY ALLEN THE OCTOPUS!" Allen shuddered, rolling to one side, just dodging a missile as Sir. Komurin obeyed the command. Allen smiled, as he thought _this day could end up being fun after all..I won't even use my innocence to destroy this thing; it would be more fun to play with it._ Allen dodged another fearsome blow with ease, springing up to the ceiling grabbing it with his human hand, so he was dangling in the air. Sir. Komurin rushed on the offence, sending missiles in every direction towards Allen as he gracefully let himself fall, dodging every single one while in midair. The crowd of scientists had no idea how to react, they knew that they should help Allen from Komui's rampage, but the kid seemed to be doing fine by himself. Hell…if they didn't know better, it looked like he might be enjoying himself. Another swipe with a robotic arm at where Allen was standing, resulted in the massive robot being scaled in a number of seconds, leaving Allen sitting tauntily on top of Komurin's hat. It instantly defended itself, shaking Allen off, as he jumped and was again on the ceiling. Allen began to grow bored of the robot's antics, and decided to finish it. Komui, still with murderous rage in his eyes after seeing what position that octopus had Linalee in, smiled proudly as it looked like his robot was doing well against the exorcist. A thought struck Komui making him bow his head in shame _that kid's innocence isn't even activated. He's not even trying…_ Allen smiled at Komui, seeming to know what the man had just thought, so he jumped down, again standing on top of Komurin's head. "Goodnight" Allen said quietly, smiling down at Komurin, before he disconnected it from its power supply, easily shutting it down. Linalee, still in shock after seeing these events unfold, grabbed Allen's arm pulling him in the direction of the cafeteria, as the other scientists, began kicking the powered-off Komurin muttering insults and curses, as the supervisor soon began to cry again trying to explain that it was the coffee's fault, not Komurin's. Allen being led away from the chaotic scene, still with a small smile indented in his face soon realized that he could smell food. _We must be heading to the cafeteria_ he thought joyously, as his stomach growled in agreement.

They entered the huge dining hall as Allen gaped in amazement at the sheer amount of food laid out on the table as the whole group of finders and exorcists alike welcomed him.

"Welcome back home, Allen!" they all shouted in unison, although those words had the opposite effect on Allen as he remembered his family and felt a pang of home sickness. He forced a smile, as he looked around before thanking everyone for their generosity. _I guess this place is 'home' for awhile _he thought to himself glumly while digging in to the feast.

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	12. Chapter 12  The 'Rewinding Town'

Chapter 12

The success party lasted long into the night, with friends sharing jokes and having such a good time- no one realized that Allen had left hours before. He was sick of his 'new home' and just wanted comfort in the only place he could truly relax in – his dreams. As Allen headed back up to his room, the dark hallways were completely empty thankfully for Allen did not think he could handle much more human contact. He reached his room, without getting lost which was a first. He was to tiered and stressed to change clothes, so he just flopped back in his bed while still wearing his uniform. Only a few minutes had passed before he fell into a comforting sleep

"_Allen" he heard a familiar voice shout as a grin spread its way across his face. He looked around, trying to spot her, he knew she was he. He could actually feel her presence but he still couldn't find here. Not a moment later, he heard a slight shuffle coming from the darkness as he knew what was coming. Smash. He was on the floor with a very giddy Road sitting on top of him, poking his new clothes with interest. "Ugh! It's so boring without you around! Millenie actually said I had to go to school tomrow or I could go on a mission. They both sound so boring!" she pouted. _

"_Are you alright? The Earl said you were feeling sick?" Allen asked in a concerned voice, he hadn't spoken to her in days and had been worrying about her frequently since then. _

"_Yeah I'm fine. I hate being human enough to get sick. It sucks!" she pouted angrily, before sniffling indicating she still was slightly off. Allen smiled, relieved and pulled her into a hug. _

"_I missed you" he breathed, as she returned the embrace. _

"_Allen" she said slowly "Everyone misses you." _

_Allen smiled, unable to hide his true sadness from her; he replied "I know." _

_She grinned, mischievously, before continuing "Well, you see. The others were really jealous cus' I got to talk to you and they didn't. So I said that when I got better I'd take them to see you…." She trailed off, avoiding his eyes, hoping she understood what she meant. Allen was overjoyed; he was able to see the rest of his family once again! "I'm not powerful enough to bring 'em all in here at once, so each night someone will get to spend some time with you. That okay?" she asked, pretending to wait for an answer but she already knew what was coming, judging by his grin. _

"_Awesome!" he shouted, almost jumping for joy. _

_Road smiled down at him before calling out "Tyki, you can come in." a door appeared from nowhere as Tyki stepped through to see Road on top of Allen, which was not really much of a surprise. Allen grinned at Tyki who pulled out a deck of cards, as Allen nodded fiercely. _

_The card games continued long into the night, as the two played round after round, while Road simply watched. Since she could read Allen's thoughts, she knew he was cheating, but neither Tyki nor she could actually catch him in the act. Allen won every round with ease, as Tyki just enjoyed the company of his brother. Half way through another game, a high pitched voice interrupted it. "Allen! We have a mission, so get up!" Allen sighed, as he stood in the dream world, before waving goodbye to Tyki and Road who said their goodbyes, before everything around Allen collapsed into nothingness. _

"C'mon Allen, get up we have a mission!" yelled the same voice that had woke him up. Allen sat up slowly, rubbing his temples as he pulled himself to his feet. Realizing he was still in his exorcist uniform from the previous night, he strode out of his room to greet Linalee who was waiting patiently outside. Unlike Road who would have glomped him at first sight, she simply stood and gave a slight bow before directing him to Komui's office so he wouldn't get lost again. They arrived only to discover a mound of papers that probably buried the supervisor. There was a small rustle of papers, when a head popped out from what seemed like mid-air. It was the supervisor, who had apparently 'let the work pile up' which would not be taken literally, for any normal person, although Komui was a different story. His voice broke the silence "Is innocence there? Maybe. Could be. No more like probably" Allen and Linalee both sighed heavily as Komui continued "Okay, you know how I just said probably? It's more like maybe. Or not at all because I really don't know to be honest. Or maybe I do know, who can say for sure?" as he collapsed into the mountain of work resulting in a loud 'thud'.

"I'm not sure..I follow." Allen remarked hesitantly

"And what's to follow my friend? Apparently there's a place out there that's being endlessly rewound." He replied, almost loosing himself in the paperwork again.

"What does that mean?" Allen asked curiously, not being able to any sense of the supervisor's words.

Linalee gasped slightly while the supervisor struggled to stand "Let me explain. It appears that time and space has come to a standstill in the town, causing a single day to endlessly repeat. Reever! Come here!" He yelled to the other side of the room.

Reever slowly stumbled towards the supervisor with large bags under his eyes – obviously overworked before muttering "I'm coming. Here's everything we have so far" he began "We first heard about this from a whole-saler who supplied a liquor store in town. On October 28th, he received an order to deliver 10 barrels of wine for October 29. He attempted the delivery, but was physically incapable of entering the town, as if a force-field were stopping him. Since then he's received the exact same order at the same time, every day." He concluded, lowering the clipboard he was holding to look at the exorcists.

"Wow that sounds creepy." Allen remarked under his breath.

"Hold on, let me get this straight. It's still October 28th, even though it's almost December now? How strange." Linalee questioned, clearly worried.

"We'd like to investigate this matter. The finders are having trouble entering the city, and because of that, everything else we know is just theory." He interrupted, waggling his finger in the air, as if lecturing a small child.

"First off." Reever interrupted "If this phenomenon is being triggered by some form of innocence, then exorcists that contain innocence may have the ability to enter the town where others haven't."

"But, if the order's investigation illustrates that this town is really stuck in a time vacuum on October the 28th, it's quite possible you won't be able to leave once you get inside." Explained Komui.

"The town's basically cut off from the rest of the world…" Linalee muttered. Komui simply nodded, as she continued "Well? What do you think? Shall we go?"

"Ah, yeah sure" Allen replied, speaking for the first time in several minutes.

As Linalee and Allen began to walk towards the exit, Komui shouted after them "Careful my precious Linalee, so long!"

Linalee blushed upon hearing this, as Allen seemed to be lost to in his own thoughts to notice. Once they reached the docking bay for the ship, Allen was surprised to see that Toma was the finder who was accompanying them on this mission. The long boat ride, as well as the train ride was spent in absolute silence. Linalee was musing over thoughts about the mission, and what they would do if they truly were trapped inside the town. Toma was shuffling his cards as always, and Allen was spaced out for the whole time, thinking of his family and wishing to go home.

Once they reached the small German town, nothing seemed out of the ordinary except for the single finder posted at the entrance. He was just sitting down waiting for the exorcists to arrive, and was overjoyed when they showed up. Allen and Linalee glanced at each other, before walking towards the barrier, both worrying about the outcome. Linalee walked through fine, without the slightest sign she had just walked through a barrier, however Allen was different. It burned his skin, smoldering it, causing it to singe turning brown and wrinkle horribly. He knew that Linalee hadn't seen him emerge through the other side, but he couldn't let her to see him like this, it would raise too many suspicions. He needed to regenerate before leaving, but staying where he was, seemed to just be causing more burns.

Reaching a decision, Allen hummed a few notes in chorus, quiet enough so no one would realize what they were hearing. For Allen, everything was in slow motion, as he stepped outside the barrier, watching his skin heal and turn back to white. For Linalee, it was the complete opposite, everything had happened so fast, she was trying to decipher what happened. All she saw was a flash of white and Allen seemed to appear out of nowhere. She sighed, as they began studying the nearby houses. They were surprised to find, where on the outside, there were no people or any movement, but inside, the town was bustling with people. Allen and Linalee walked slowly around, trying to see if anything was odd or usual. After half an hour of walking, Linalee suggested they split up so they could cover more ground. Allen agreed instantly, more due to the fact that he was itching to have some time alone. They decided to meet up at a certain bar for lunch, but were each to search until then.

Linalee decided that she would look around for any Akuma or anyone who noticed the time loop, whereas Allen went back to check if the theories about leaving the town were correct. They were dead-on, every time Allen tried to walk through a seemly empty space, he was redirected so he was walking back into the town without him even realizing it. Allen sighed as he guessed he would be spending awhile here. He shrugged, realizing he had until noon to do whatever he wanted. He walked slowly to the back of one of the buildings near the edge of the city.

He slumped down pressing his back against it, as he felt the familiar sensation of his pale skin being swallowed by the ash color, as well as his hair curling against his neck, and the stigmata revealing themselves on his forehead. He felt the familiar desire to destroy the innocence he felt present in the town, though he could not tell if it was Linalee's or someone else's. He rubbed his temples, soothing the desire to do what he was born to do – destroy. He relaxed slightly, slumping to the ground before lying down with his hands behind his head. In the past few days, he hadn't had a chance to simply relax in his true form, and it felt comforting to him that he was still able to. He had drifted off, to an almost sleep when he heard a cry of what sounded like a woman. This momentarily distracted him, as he pulled himself up against the wall before shuddering, having to be in his 'white' form for hours to come. He saw the charcoal skin reside and his crosses shrivel until they were no longer visible. He stood, slowly walking over to where he had heard the scream.

Linalee had been walking for hours, trying to find someone who realized what was going on in the town. Almost giving up, she began to head in the direction of the bar where she was meant to meet Allen for lunch when she heard a woman's scream. She instantly ran, activating her innocence, as she spotted a woman in a nearby ally, being pinned up against the wall by what looked like a level 2 Akuma. "Where's the innocence" It breathed as she began to cry. Linalee couldn't believe it, had she just heard 'innocence'? She jumped quickly, on top of the Akuma, and then kicking it square in its jaw so that it exploded. The woman, now freed from the Akuma's grasp, ran for her life into the crowd. Linalee ran after her, but soon lost sight, knowing it was too late to find her. She'd just have to return to the bar to tell Allen about it, maybe he could help her find that woman.


	13. Chapter 13  Enter Road Camelot!

Chapter 13

Linalee stormed off in the direction of the bar with hundreds of thoughts running through her mind all at once.

_I wonder why that woman isn't affected by the time rewinding and why an Akuma asked her about innocence? Hold on…maybe if it is innocence that is causing this… she could have had contact with it at some point? A reasonable theory, I'll just have to discuss it with Allen before we go about chasing that woman down._

She reached the bar, eager to discuss matters with Allen, hearing a voice ordering wine on the telephone.

_So this is the place we heard about._

She waltzed into the small restaurant, looking hurriedly for Allen who she assumed was just not here yet. She found a comfortable table, before relaxing and lying back in the chair. She felt an unusual presence around her, as if someone or something was watching her, as she turned her hear around surveying the restraint for anyone suspicious. There was a hooded figure in the corner of the restaurant, sitting by him while shuffling a deck of cards. Linalee instantly recognized the cloak as an exorcist's uniform before strolling over to where she guessed Allen was sitting. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed him before, though the cloak did mask two of his most distinguishing features; stark white hair as well as a black scar on his face. He looked up lazily from his shuffling to see Linalee sit down next to him, so he pulled the cloak off his head, exposing his face as he smiled innocently back at Linalee.

She seemed to be lost in thought, as Allen interrupted "Uh, shall we get something to eat?"

Linalee looked up, and replied "Sure".

Soon after, one of the waitresses hurried over to take their order. "I'd like some salad and some chicken kebabs please." She asked courteously.

Allen grinned as he placed his massive order. The waitress, along with Linalee only gaped at Allen, as he spent almost 3 minutes ordering his food. The waitress left hurriedly, desperately trying to remember exactly what the boy had ordered.

Linalee sat there, gaping at Allen before asking "Can you really eat all that?"

Allen simply shrugged and said "It's less than I usually eat." Linalee found this hard to believe, what he had just ordered would mean he would be consuming like double his body weight, which technically speaking- should be impossible.

Allen couldn't help but chuckle at her amazement, eating this much was nothing new to him, nor to his family, but then he remembered these people knew nothing about him. Then he felt the familiar pang of homesickness, as looked down at the table with slightly less of an appetite.

They waited for what seemed like hours before the food arrived, the waitress carried out Linalee's order first as it was small and easy to manage; Allen's however… It took the entire staff and most of the chefs as well to bring Allen's order to their table, as Allen just sat there with a grin on his face. Allen dug in to the mountain of food, while Linalee simply stared in awe. If she had seen anyone else consume so much food she would of thought it to be the act of a pig, but Allen managed to eat so much but with such manners! He finished his gargantuan order only minutes after it arrived, before Linalee was even half way through her meal. She was amazed at how he could eat so much, but stay so thin, though she did not voice her thoughts.

"So...did you find anything?" Allen said, breaking the somewhat awkward silence.

Linalee looked up, surprised he'd spoken before replying "Yeah, well I went to look around for anyone who looked suspicious. I eventually ran across this woman, being held up to a wall as a level 2 Akuma asked her where the innocence was. I intervened, destroying the Akuma but didn't catch the woman as she ran out into the crowd."

Linalee looked down, somewhat in shame as Allen chuckled. "So she got away?" he asked casually, but with a slight hint of mockery.

"Yeah.." Linalee replied with an equally cold tone. Allen's smile cut through her sour mood as he explained what he had been doing.

"Well, I went to see if Komui's suspicions about us being stuck here were correct. I went to check if I was able to leave the town. However, it was unsuccessful, and every time I walked through the barrier, it simply shot me out the other way – sending me back into the town. We truly are stuck here until we find out what is going on." He concluded with a slight smirk. A woman, who looked to be in her mid 20s peaked her head up from the seat behind the two exorcists. She had been listening intently to their conversation, as she was the one who was trapped by a so-called 'Akuma'.

"It's her!" Linalee shrieked, pointing desperately at the woman, who looked horrified that she'd been caught. She instantly turned around and sprinted out, though Linalee quickly caught her by the end of her blouse.

"Please, we need your help, don't run." Linalee told the woman as she stared at the two strange people in coats

"Sorry, basic instinct." She replied before coming back inside the restraint taking a seat next to the two people. Linalee proceeded to explain everything to her; about innocence, Akuma, the Millennium Earl, as well as what she suspected was happening in the town.

Miranda could hardly speak "So, this innocence is what's causing all this?" she managed to stutter as Linalee nodded. Allen had begun playing with his cards and had completely zoned out of the conversation. He then saw three men enter the bar taking seats in the only three bar stools. His eye activated instantly, as he knew from the looks of the souls that there were three level 2 Akuma here. He smiled, level two's were no match for him, and so he could simply toy with them until he got bored.

Interrupting the conversation between Miranda and Linalee, Allen said nonchalantly "Linalee, take Miranda and run. We have company." Within an instant of that being said, the three Akuma shed their human forms revealing 3 level twos. The first had a round, striped belly with small stubbly legs and long arms. Its head had multiple faces, on each different side there was another face. The second had what looked like blades for arms and a small body with what looked like a mask on. The last was much larger than the other two, and blue fire ran down its arms and back along with long pink hair. It grinned maliciously spotting the exorcists, exited for a battle. Linalee shot off carrying Miranda away to some place safe, while leaving Allen to deal with the Akuma. Allen grinned as his eyes flickered golden and giving a slight bow; he questioned casually "Shall we begin?"

Meanwhile, somewhere deep within the ark

"That's no fair! I don't want to go to school, we have a test today!" pouted a very frustrated Road.

The Earl chuckled at her annoyance before suggesting "Well, you can either go to school or go on a mission." Road thought about it carefully, before reaching a decision.

She grinned playfully before replying "Fine, I'll go on a mission. But ONLY if I can take Lero with me... and also you have to let me, err…" she paused, trying to think of something she wanted, but unable to think of anything.

"I'll give you some more candy, how about that?" The Earl questioned with a grin. Road, of course unable to refuse any sort of candy glomped The Earl, before stealthily removing Lero from his coat. Lero of course screamed at being taken by her, and then settled down as The Earl have her permission to have him for the day. The Earl explained briefly about the mission, as Road simply nodded. A gateway appeared in the ark, leading to somewhere in Germany apparently.

_How boring, a 'rewinding town'._ She thought to herself, skipping towards the gate while humming in tune.

She appeared out of nowhere, a petit girl wearing a short skirt with stockings and black shoes. She had a white blouse as well as a frilly overcoat and looked to be no older than 12. She had spiky midnight blue hair, which extruded in a manner which clearly defied gravity. She was swinging what looked like some sort of umbrella around, which to the finders surprise, yelled curses at the young girl. She smiled back at it, enjoying its misery before stepping slowly towards the edge of the town. She pointed the umbrella towards it, before walking slowly. She walked straight through, to the finder's surprise. They were exasperated, _who was she? How could she walk through that barrier? Did that mean she was an exorcist? _The finders outside the town were freaking out as the girl disappeared.

As she walked through the barrier, it made hideous sizzling sounds of her skin being burnt. She could feel it shriveling and turning a horrible brown… Yes this was defiantly innocence's doing. Once on the other side, she quickly regenerated the lost skin, before swinging Lero over her shoulder casually, moving back and forth on her toes and heels. She was actually interested in this mission…a rewinding town, she wondered what that could mean "Road appears!" she yelled, quiet enough not to have anyone from the town notice, but loud enough to greatly disturb the umbrella, who muttered under its breath.

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	14. Chapter 14  Confrontation

Chapter 14

Linalee was in a hurry; she needed to find a safe place for Miranda before she could return to help Allen. She had never seen him fight therefore wasn't sure what he was capable of. He was only young so she assumed he would probably struggle with evolved Akuma. This thought did nothing to calm her nerves, so she ended up quickening her pace, leaving Miranda holding on for dear life as everything around her was just a blur.

Allen grinned maliciously at the Akuma surrounding him. He was waiting until they opened on him, because he didn't want to destroy them just yet…He wanted to have some fun first. Like Road always said 'we don't just go around killing humans. We play with them first' which is exactly what he intended to do now. Akuma were not very fun to play with, especially compared to humans- let alone exorcists, but they would have to do for now to satisfy his bloodlust. Allen chuckled loudly; it was a cold, callous laugh which sent shivers down the spine of every living creature that heard it. The largest Akuma was getting frustrated at the waiting, and was twitching, wanting to attack this shrimp looking exorcist.

It looked around at its two companions, who were also struggling to hold back their attack, as the largest grinned, and commenced the fight by yelling "ICE, FIRE!" a jet of ice fire rushed towards the spot where the white-haired exorcist had been standing moments earlier. All the Akuma were slightly disappointed, thinking the fight was already over. Little did they know that Allen, who had easily dodged the Akuma's slow attack, was now perched on the largest's mane, holding on to the pink hair.

"Did I get him?" it asked, leaning forward hopefully.

"Not quiet." A voice responded coming from behind the Akuma. It screeched, realizing that the exorcist was now on its back. It shook violently, trying to remove the boy from its back but to no avail. The other Akuma couldn't contain their laughter, as they were level 2s they had their own personalities, and both thought this was hilarious.

"Get it off!" the largest Akuma whined to its comrades as they just laughed. Even Allen started chuckling as the Akuma was franticly trying to even reach the spot he was perched on. The Akuma eventually decided to body slam its back against the wall, in the hopes of removing the annoying pest, currently using the brutal spikes that shrouded its back, as mealy a couch. It slammed into the side of the restaurant with all its force- giving itself a bad headache in the process, only to see a white flash. As quickly as Allen had made his way over to sit on the large Akuma, he was gone, leaving a literally cloud of dust in his wake.

Moments later, one of the smaller Akuma noticed it was heavier than before, realizing that Allen was now perched on its back, it began to yell franticly at its comrades.

The largest Akuma had enough of the pathetic exorcist mocking them; it yelled "ICE FIRE!" Yet another deadly jet of flames rushed past the Akuma Allen had been sitting on, only to find Allen had disappeared yet again, and the only thing the fire had hit was the smaller Akuma who had been damaged considerably. None of the Akuma had any idea where the exorcist was now, and all looked down in humiliation, feeling considerably degraded they let out a chorus of sighs.

Allen chuckled merrily, watching the scene while hanging from the roof casually. This was not nearly as fun breaking a human's mind, but he guessed watching them disgrace themselves, and the look of shame on their faces, was enough to make Allen smile sadistically

As soon as she entered the town, she could feel something was wrong. It wasn't the overflowing amount of people in the streets she witnessed, or the choking gas that came from the factories inside the dwelling. No, it was that Road could sense the presence of Akuma when she came near, and in almost every town she'd ever been to, there were at least 10 Akuma present. This town was different, she could only feel the presence of 3 Akuma, which were level two, but they all seemed to be distressed. "Gah, with such a small amount of Akuma, I can't let 'em be destroyed by foolish exorcists till I have the innocence." She thought out loud, as Lero mumbled angrily about being taken. She guessed she ought to save them before their destroyed, so she commanded with her Noah.

Through the shameful defeat of the Akuma, Allen was laughing mercilessly. He did not want to destroy them just yet; it was too much fun seeing them suffer. The Akuma were all terrified, they'd never felt such a darkness being emitted by any being, other than the Earl or the Noah if they had a bad day..who the hell was this? Why were three level 2's beaten so easily, the kid didn't even activate his innocence. A loud command broke the Akuma's train of thought

_Return to me. Now._

All the Akuma were relieved, there was their safety net, the voice of a Noah. They all disappeared with incredible speed, rushing towards the location of the one who commanded then, as well as being eager to escape from the exorcist with white hair. Allen stood there, his eyes full of his surprise and he had a large gaping expression. Being a fully awakened Noah himself, he heard the telepathic command to the Akuma clearly, but was unable to decipher which who it belonged to. He was just standing there in the middle of the restaurant with his mouth wide open, when Linalee returned; ready to finish off the remaining Akuma.

Linalee was stunned to say the least when she spotted Allen scratching his head wearing a dumbfounded expression.

"Allen! What happened did you destroy them?" she called with a hint of urgency in her voice. It was evident by the lack of smoke that the Akuma had not been destroyed.

Allen called back "Um. They sort of just disappeared" followed by a shrug and a sheepish grin. Linalee sighed, before realizing if they just disappeared they may have gone after Miranda. Allen pulled back on his hood, before walking out of the restaurant with Linalee to go return to Miranda's apartment (they Linalee had dropped her off).

Their silent observer hummed a merry tune as she watched the two exorcists exit the bar. The Akuma that she had called back were nervous and itching to fight. Road simply observed the exorcists. The first was an Asian girl who looked to be around 16. She had long greenish hair that was tied back in two ponytails that reached her back. She wore the exorcist's garments along with a black, filled miniskirt and a white undershirt. Her companion was shrouded by a hood so Road didn't get to see his face. He wore the exorcist's uniform, which was about as long as a trench coat. He had his hood pulled over his face, which only left the only other visible part were the black boots along with dark trousers. A sense of familiarity tugged at the back of Roads mind, trying to tell her something. She shrugged it off, and pushed it to the back of her already over-crowded mind. Currently – top priority was the innocence.

Allen and Linalee walked hurriedly through the streets, pushing past crowds with ease trying to get back to Miranda's apartment. Luckily for Allen, Linalee was pretty good at remembering the way, so they didn't get lost. Linalee looked to be distressed, worrying about Miranda's safety, where as Allen wore a mask of calmness, but he in truth was also unnerved. Although, unlike Linalee, he wasn't the least bit concerned about Miranda's safety, but more which member of his true family was here, and who he would have to face- and if worst comes to worst, fight. Allen's head was swimming with thoughts, as they reached the apartment building where Miranda lived. They reached the door, and Linalee knocked quietly. Not gaining an answer the first time, she began to worry knocking again. No reply. The frustration built up, until Linalee just opened the door, revealing a much stressed Miranda desperately cleaning the only noticeable object in the room –the grandfather clock. She looked horrified to say the least that they had entered without knocking, which Linalee explained that they actually had knocked multiple times. Miranda was still freaking out for minutes to come, while Linalee tried desperately to calm her down. Allen just took a seat in the corner of the room, as far away as possible from not only the conversation between Miranda and Linalee, but also the grandfather clock.

Linalee realized this, and was appalled. She was trying fruitlessly to get Miranda to calm down with no progress, and Allen is just lazing about in the corner zoning out. _Who does he think he is! _She thought furiously before eventually calming Miranda down enough to have a proper conversation.

She couldn't have been more wrong. Allen had been far wrong zoning out. In truth, he was having an extremely difficult time containing himself and his Noah bloodlust. There were two activated innocence in a single room, and there was no privacy. His Noah form was going berserk.

_**Good evening, Allen.**_

_Good evening Neah._

_**You shouldn't fight these impulses Allen, it's not healthy.**_

_I know, this hurts me as much as it does you, Neah. For now I'm unable to escape the innocence._

_**Then destroy it, is protecting your identity really worth this much suffering?**_

_For my mission, and my family, I can take this much pain._

_**Aw, Allen your no fun…I hope your mission finishes soon, I want to come out and play.**_

_It'll be over soon, so just wait until then._

_**Fine, but when I'm free, I feel sorry for everyone who is around you.**_

An hour had passed since they had arrived at Miranda's apartment before she finally agreed to take Linalee and Allen on a tour of her everyday life in the hopes they could identify the innocence. Linalee stood up offering a hand to Miranda who gracefully accepted. They both stood about to leave before Linalee noticed Allen wasn't following them out the door. He was still sitting there, looking lost in the thought before Linalee decided to interrupt. She clapped her hands inches away from his face, not getting the slightest reaction. She sighed, nudging him slightly with the edge of her boot. She could have sworn she heard a sizzling sound, as Allen looked up at her wide-eyed with fright. "Welcome back to the world of the living Allen" she said sarcastically. Allen rubbed the spot where her innocence had touched him as it had left a burn. Luckily, she had already turned and headed off, not noticing Allen's pained expression. He grumbled to himself as he trailed behind the two women, still grasping the spot where the innocence had burned him. He felt the familiar sensation of it regenerating, before running up to where Miranda and Linalee were, apologizing for 'spacing out', saying it was a habit he had developed. Linalee giggled at his explanation, in most people she would have called in laziness, but in Allen it was rather cute.

The tour lasted hours and the only thought running through Allen's mind for the whole time was _boring_ while he trudged behind Miranda who was explaining each boring activity with detail. Long after the sun had set; Miranda reached the end of her tour as Linalee concluded there was nothing suspicious that she had observed during the tour. Allen agreed readily, smiling innocently, pretending he had been paying attention for the whole tour.

When they arrived back at Miranda's apartment it was late, only 2 minutes to midnight. Allen sighed, watching to clock with hopeful eyes, praying this never-ending day would just finish. 15 seconds… Each second seemed to be taking longer than usual, but Allen guessed that was just his impatience. 5...4…3….2...1. The clock chimed midnight as Miranda instantly rose, and walked over to her bed without doing anything, not even taking her shoes off she was in bed with her eyes closed. Allen and Linalee were shocked, shouting out her name but with no response. The clock in the middle of the room began glowing as similar clock shapes began rushing towards it, seeing familiar images of what had happened in the previous day fly into the clock. "It's destroying everything that happened today!" Linalee shouted franticly as the images of the Akuma rushed past into the clock. In an instant, everything stopped as the grandfather clock returned to normal, and golden rays of run poured through the window. Allen and Linalee gaped at the sunlight as the clock chimed 8.

"Morning?" Allen and Linalee shouted in unison with disbelief. Miranda sat up slowly from her bed, rubbing her temples slowly. "I don't remember going to bed." She muttered, while Allen and Linalee simply stared, disbelievingly. After a long conversation about what was actually occurring, it came to the fact that Miranda must be an accommodator, and the time rewinding was due to her innocence. Everyone decided that to make the time rewinding stop, they'd need to fulfill Miranda's wishes so she could finally stop the time rewinding. The best way of doing this, was to find her a decent job. They all spent days looking, finding a suitable job but then getting fired as Miranda was the clumsy sort. On the third day of looking tirelessly for a job with suitable pay, Allen found one which involved working with a circus- which he was very experienced at.

It was a smashing success, Allen was dressed in a large pumpkin head, while juggling and advertising tickets to the play "The pumpkin and the witch," Miranda was handing out the tickets and collecting the money, dressed up as a witch. It was their first day and they were doing a great job so the supervisor allowed them to have a break.

"Wow, Allen I had no idea you could juggle. Where'd you learn all those tricks?" Linalee questioned, stepping in from amongst the crowd.

Allen grinned before replying "Well I used to work as a clown back before I became an exorcist." He scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin and Miranda looked amazed at his hardships. Linalee had eventually mustered up the courage to ask Allen what had been on her mind for weeks now.

"Allen, I've always wanted to ask you, but I never had the chance. What's up with your hair, and that scar on your face?"

Allen realized how little these two knew about him and decided to explain a little about himself "I'll explain from the beginning. I don't remember much about my life before I met Mana. My parents abandon me when I was very young, because of my arm and I was left by myself, alone in the world. I was 7 when I met Mana – he was a traveling clown and adopted me. He became my foster father, and I took up the last name 'walker' after him. My life had improved drastically when I met him, and was glad that I had another chance in life. All that faded away when Mana died. I was about 12 at the time and his death destroyed what left of a life I had. I mourned his death for days, before The Millennium Earl came to me. He offered to resurrect Mana, which I gladly accepted turning him into a demon. He cursed me, and my hair turned from brown to pure white as it is now, as well as he gave me this scar, which is also a curse. My underdeveloped innocence at the time activated and killed the demon holding Mana's soul. The curse allows me to see the souls trapped inside Akuma, and I decided to become an exorcist to atone for what I had done to him."

Linalee and Miranda looked at each other, eyes wide in shock. They had never guessed Allen had been through so much suffering before he joined the order.

Miranda felt sorry for the poor boy and then trying to cheer herself up as well as Allen she remarked "I had no idea you could have suffered so much, and I only concern myself with my own misery. All right! I'll go give this job the best I can!" she shuffled off to sell more tickets. Someone approached from a dimly lit street, knowing that the guy in the pumpkin suit and the girl next to him were both exorcists.

"Scuse me Mr. Pumpkin, where can I get tickets for the "Pumpkin and the Witch?" A small figure asked, stepping out of the darkness.

Allen recognized that voice instantly, there's no way he wouldn't. He knew the instant he heard it, its chirpy, soothing tone, and Allen looked up slowly, with the mask over his head. _No…I couldn't be…_ he saw a girl who looked to be around 12, with spiky blue hair, wearing a short skirt and frilly overcoat. She was holding an Umbrella, slinging it around casually while licking a lollipop. _No…why…why does it have to be Road?_ Allen thought to himself an unseen tear rolling down his cheek behind his mask.

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	15. Chapter 15  And there was silence

**Authors Notes: Sorry for all the short chapters recently. Thanks for everyone who reviews; it's the inspiration that keeps me going. The song used in this chapter is the opening theme from Elfen Lied called 'Lilium' and I do not own it in any way. As always, thanks for reading and please review.**

Chapter 15

Linalee rushed to the young girl, ushering her over to where Miranda was selling tickets. Allen simply sat there, head lowered with the pumpkin head firmly in place. Linalee's attention was briefly spent wondering why Allen suddenly looked so depressed, before she heard a scream. It was Miranda, and she was on her knees, crying her eyes out. Linalee grabbed Allen's arm and told the girl to wait where she was before running to the side of Miranda. Allen was determined to keep his mask in place, hopefully Road wouldn't recognize him, but he knew she would; it was only a matter of time. Miranda was sobbing as the manager began yelling insults.

"What happened?" Linalee asked, not bothering to disguise the worry in her voice.

"That man!" she yelped, pointing to a man wearing a black mask running away with what looked like all the money. Linalee nodded, realizing what happened; she grabbed Allen and began to run after the pick-pocket. Linalee yelled after them

"Don't worry, we'll get your money back!" as she ran full speed ahead with her innocence now activated.

Miranda sat on the ground sobbing, as she began muttering to herself, the young girl walked over within a few feet of her, listening intently at what she was muttering. "In the end, I can't really do anything right. Even so, I keep trying…I look like a fool! Why am I always like this? Why does my clock have to be innocence!" she shouted, as Road perked up, realizing what was occurring in the town. She rose from where she was sitting, before walking slowly towards the woman sitting on the ground.

Road squatted, looking intently at the woman's face before licking her lollipop once more and stating "So your clock is the innocence, eh?"

Linalee was sprinting impossibly fast for any normal human- thanks to her innocence, but to Allen it still felt slow compared to what he was capable of. They rounded a corner, seeing the pick pocket run into an alleyway. They pressed on, reaching the ally seeing the man standing there; smirking before shedding its human skin to reveal the largest Akuma that Allen had fought the other day.

"Ice, fire!" it yelled, as a jet of what looked like white fire erupted from its jaws. Two glowing violet pentacles appeared on the ground, as the other two Akuma made their appearances.

"She's got that woman! Mistress Road got 'er!" the largest shouted with a malicious grin. Allen's face dropped inside his mask, this meant he would defiantly have to face her, even the thought of it made him sick to his stomach.

"Road?" Linalee questioned, with a confused look on her face. The Akuma charged, before everything around the group fell to darkness, and Allen knew exactly what was going on.

He opened his eyes to a familiar view of one of Road's favorite dream worlds. He had been here any times as this was one of her favorite places to spend time. Looking around, Allen could tell he was still wearing that damn pumpkin mask, which meant either, Road hadn't recognized him yet, or she had and thought the mask was adorable so she left it on. Allen tried to move, but his hands were tightly bound behind his back. The army of hovering dolls stared at Allen with empty eyes, while the candles seemed to buzz slightly. He noticed Linalee sitting, obviously unconscious in a chair. She was dressed up in a black dress with frilly ends and her hair had been curled and pinned up. Obviously, she was Road's new doll. Road was petting her new toy affectionately before she gazed back at the stranger in the pumpkin mask. She had brought both of them here with the intention of killing them, but the one in the pumpkin mask had a familiar aura around him that stopped her, while the other would make a great doll.

"Oh, she really does look good in black." Road purred while stroking Linalee's hair.

"Mistress Road..." asked one of the Akuma, clearly frightened "Why did you dress her up?"

"Because, to be my doll she needs to look pretty. Akuma like you guys wouldn't understand." She replied with a pout. Road realized the mask-guy was looking up at her, and had awoke. "Oh, so you're awake?" she asked casually, while petting Linalee's hair. The figure on the floor grunted, as it seemed to be grinding its shoulders together. The pumpkin head slowly began to ease off the figure's head. First Road looked what she assumed was a he's neck, noticing that it also looked familiar. The pumpkin head rolled off as snow white hair flopped down over the boys face, revealing a black scar with an upside down pentacle and a wide grin.

"ALLEN!" Road cried running towards him with incredible speed, jumping on him and pulling him into an embrace. "I HAVNT SEEN YOU IN SO LONG!" she yelled again, nuzzling her head into his chest as he looked down at with affectionate eyes.

"It hasn't been that long.." he replied nonchalantly, but tears still trickled from his eyes.

"Why are you here, Allen? Is it part of your mission, to get the innocence from the cry baby over there?" she asked while gesturing to Miranda, who seemed to rise up out of the floor. She was bound to her own clock, which happened to be where the innocence was. She had metal stakes pinned through her hands, and was sobbing quietly. She managed to prop her head up with a dumbfounded expression, seeing the one who had done this to her, hugging Allen- who seemed to be enjoying it.

Allen smiled down at the girl, and asked politely "Do you mind if you untie my hands so I can return the hug?" He was still smiling while one of the sharp candles flew out of nowhere, into the rope but also hitting his hand, impaling it. He winced at the pain for a moment, before he pulled it out and the wound regenerated before her eyes.

"That hurt Road.." he remarked, still with the same smile but Road only giggled.

_**Allen, your time's up. I'm coming out to play…**_

Allen shuddered, curling himself up into a ball, screwing his eyes shut. There was no way he could contain his bloodlust for any longer, and everyone in this town was doomed. His skin started turning into a charcoal color, spreading throughout his entire body in only a few seconds. The even stigmata carved their way back into his forehead, as he threw his head back, gasping in relief. His friendly, kind smile was being replaced by what looked like a malicious smirk. He opened his eyes slowly they were now brilliant gold instead of silver, no longer full of kindness and caring, they now looked cold, and callous- even slightly psychotic. His eyes screamed murder as they stared at Miranda, his grin only broadening.

"Road, you look better in your Noah form." He added, with a hint of demanding in his voice.

"Agreed." She replied, as her own body began to undergo the same changes. Her skin darkened from very pale to a dark shade of gray, even darker than Allen's, as the seven stigmata appeared on her forehead also. As her eyelids fluttered open, her eye color had changed from a vibrant violet, to a shimmering gold to match Allen's.

"Guess I blew my cover, but suppressing your Noah does have serious side effects I've realized. This bloodlust, it is unbearable!" he pouted, looking at Road expectantly as if waiting for an answer.

"I'll let you continue your mission and get this one's innocence for now. I can erase her memory of seeing you like this, and the other one is unconscious." She replied nonchalantly, gesturing to Linalee again.

"Thanks Road, you're the best!" he said in a childish tone while pulling her into another embrace before trotting off towards the darkness.

"Where ya off to?" she asked, with curiosity but knowing the answer already.

"I was going to satisfy this bloodlust by killing who ever I come across." He replied then chuckled heartily.

Road pouted "No your meant to be a good guy remember? Besides, while that woman is in here, the innocence is no longer activated, meaning time is back to normal, so if you kill 'em they'll stay dead!"

Allen grinned again, before replying "I'm not on a mission. Allen is, all the people in town will remain dead, and I'll just get some Akuma to destroy the...'evidence'. Allen has been trying so hard to suppress this for almost a week now, and this is the price that is going to be paid."

'Allen' turned around and kept walking away as Road nodded slowly. He called out before he left the dream realm "Hey put a nice dream into their heads for me would ya? One that makes me a hero and introduces the Noah and all that. Just make sure that Miranda woman doesn't remember what happened here, got it?"

Not waiting for an answer 'Allen' disappeared from the dream realm. Road sighed, Allen had suppressed Neah for too long and it had taken its toll, and now thousands of sub humans would die. Their deaths did not bother Road in the slightest; it was more Neah controlling Allen that was frightening. She sighed once more before turning her head to the woman staring shakily and the scene that had just played out in front of her. Road smirked at her sadistically before everything collapsed into darkness once again.

'Allen' came to in a dark alleyway which he remembered from where the Akuma had 'ambushed' them. He stood, and brushed off his clothes before walking off in the direction of the town centre.

_Hey Akuma, come to me, I'm going to kill everyone in this town and you shoot the corpses so they turn to dust, kay?_

He felt the presence of the Akuma rush towards him hearing a Noah's command and immediately followed it. All three of the Akuma sensed the Noah nearby, before finding that it was no other than the white-haired exorcist that they had fought earlier.

He grinned at the Akuma, before looking up with the obvious appearance of a Noah and asking "Recognize me?" All of the Akuma began to sweat-drop. They had all attacked a Noah! The earl would punish them severely if the Noah himself did not. 'Allen' simply chuckled at the Akuma's reactions as he walked towards the town.

"If you want to live Akuma, cover your ears..." he whispered but they all heard him. Doing as they were told, they watched the mysterious Noah move towards the town with his lips moving. 'Allen' was singing a melody…A certain melody which would kill anyone who heard it. Of course, it wasn't as simple as that, but 'Allen' knew was that it was a quick and easy way to kill hundreds of foolish sub-humans at once. He began humming the melody he knew oh so well...

_Os iusti meditabitur sapientiam  
et lingua eius loquetur iudicium  
beatus vir qui suffert tentationem  
quoniam cum probatus fuerit  
accipiet coronam vitae..._

He looked around as people in their hundreds; fell to the floor clutching their chests with a desperate expression on their faces. Soon, 'Allen' was the only one left standing in a crowd which had been hundreds thick moments earlier. The Akuma following behind 'Allen' watched in horror, as he seemed to do nothing but move lips, yet the humans in their hundreds were dropping like flies.

_Kyrie, ignis divine, eleison  
Oh quam sancta  
quam serena  
quam benigna  
quam amoena  
Oh castitatis lilium_

He finished the song looking around in pleasure. Every sub-human within a 10 mile radius was dead, thanks to his 'melody'. He turned back around to the Akuma that all had fearful expressions on their faces, before smiling and replying "Now, you can shoot all the bodies so that they become nothing more than dust…And this will look like nothing more than an Akuma attack." He grinned malevolently, and the Akuma obeyed his command.

'Allen' made his way back to Miranda's apartment, enjoying the time he was able to come out and 'play'. He sighed, allowing Allen back in control, as his skin color changed back to white, the hair uncurled and the stigmata receded back into his forehead.

Even though Neah had been controlling him for the past few hours, he was able to watch the carnage with pleasure. He looked around slowly, realizing he was back at that woman's apartment. With a sigh he entered the room, only to see an unconscious Miranda and Linalee. Allen smiled, as he saw them living the 'dream' Road had implanted into their minds. Allen decided to make himself look pretty battered up as well, knowing that in the dream Road was feeding them, and Allen had been a 'hero'. He slashed at his chest a few times, ripping his shirt and leaving cuts which blood flowed through endlessly. He could control his regeneration abilities and decided to turn them off for awhile. Closing his eyes peacefully, knowing that the other two would wake soon, he fell into a deep slumber dreaming of some of his favorite things…

Beating Tyki in poker, eating piles of food so large they looked like castles- while Skinn tried to eat his mound of candy to win the competition, talking with Lulu about the small things in life, such as warm milk, and good manicures apparently, trying to get the twins to perform properly only to end in a food fight, spending time with the Earl, and most of all, Road.

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	16. Chapter 16  Introducing Bookman

Chapter 16

"Ugh" Allen heard himself grunt; realizing the pain he was in thanks to his self-lacerations he didn't heal, but also injuries in other areas that he didn't inflict upon himself. His eyes slowly opened revealing a hospital room. In the right hand corner there was a small desk with a few chairs, but noticeable a mound of papers, larger than himself. He looked around slowly, seeing the only window in the room had the curtain drawn giving the place a serene feel. He had been shifting to try and get comfortable when he noticed Komui sitting on a small stool beside his bed. Allen did his best to put on the same fake smile he wore every day, as Komui noticed he had woken up. Allen propped himself up, noticing the bandages that covered his body- most noticeably – his left eye. He sweat dropped slightly, he didn't recall anything happening to his eye- before a frightening thought struck him…it must have happened in the 'dream' that is now reality thanks to a certain Noah's powers.

Realizing Komui was looking at him expectantly; Allen smiled innocently before grunting "huh?"

Komui adjusted his position on the stool so he was looking directly at Allen before replying with a concerned voice "You've finally awakened."

Komui smiled at the young boy who looked like a wreck before asking "How do you feel?" Allen looked back at Komui, rubbing the back of his head which had been throbbing for quite some time and replied

"Not great, not too bad."His mind trailed back to the thoughts of the Miranda woman along with that exorcist…Linalee was it?

He wasn't too sure but decided to risk asking "How is Linalee?" he tried to add a slight bit of worry in his voice, and it worked thanks to years of practice. "Is she still being treated?" he pressed on, worrying slightly that Road may have killed the girl out of spite….That wasn't something that would surprise Allen, nor did he care much but it may have jeopardized his mission if she did anything drastic.

"Yes" Komui replied in a solemn tone, breaking Allen's train of thought. "But there's no need to worry." He said reassuring the new exorcist. Allen looked at the desk beside Komui more carefully now, only to see dangerous looking drills, along with a construction helmet, worrying Allen slightly.

"Just out of curiosity, what kind of treatment is she receiving?" Allen asked bluntly.

"It's something called 'acupuncture'" trying to reassure the boy, he continued "It's a needle treatment passed down from ancient china."

Allen looked lost in thought as he muttered "Is that so.." The only person who came to mind when Allen thought of such a treatment, was the current bookman. He kept a tab on the world itself, recording history apparently as a 'bystander' but that seemed to be false, as both the current bookman and his apprentice, were acting as exorcists. The Earl had told Allen time, and time again that although they are acting as exorcists, it is only to record the war from an easy view point, or in their opinions, the winning side. 'But that will all change when they meet you…Allen.' The earl had always said, ever since he adopted, the Earl had doted on him. Not that he minded it; it was now that he was so used to it, which made the order even harder to settle into.

"Are you afraid of being treated?" Komui asked brightly, again completely making Allen lose track of his thoughts while he tried to think of a response.

"Er, no…" he replied with a sheepish grin which made Komui chuckle slightly. Allen decided to take advantage of the seemingly relaxed state the supervisor was in so he decided to probe for information.

Allen's facial expression fell, into a somewhat serious one before asking cautiously "Is it okay if I ask you something?" Komui's smiling expression vanished as it was replaced with a grimace.

"So you heard what happened to the townsfolk then?" he asked. Allen was startled; this was the last thing he had expected, even though he knew exactly what Komui was talking about.

"Huh?" Allen replied, trying to ad sincerity into his voice, but not having much practice at being sincere, it sounded more like a sob.

Komui kept his grimace before explaining "After days of trying, the finder could all suddenly enter the town. We all assumed that you collected the innocence causing the phenomena. They ran into a woman named Miranda, as she was screaming and completely alone on the streets. She was bawling at while pointing towards the centre of town. After dragging the finders there, she showed them the mass of clothes on the ground. The only thing amongst the pile of clothes was dust, blowing away in the wind. The woman began telling the finder's about what she had learned about her innocence, as well as the injured people in her house. It didn't take the finders long to realize what had happened. There had been an Akuma attack and the entire town was wiped out and the exorcists sent here had been severely injured. That in mind, we carted you and Linalee to a nearby hospital for treatment."

So Allen's plan had worked, exactly as he had known it would and he was pleased with himself, so why then did a single tear trickle down his cheek? He knew that he was the one who had killed them….all of them, so why then was he crying for the worthless sub-humans. Allen shook off the tear quickly, before turning back to Komui with a confused look.

"That's awful.." Allen muttered as sincerely as he could before continuing "But that wasn't what I wanted to ask you about…. What is Noah's family?" Allen decided to see how much the order knew about him and his brethren, so this was the easiest way to gather information while remaining inconspicuous.

"He came 'ere to ask us about that." A new, chirpy voice said from across the room. Allen instantly recognized the beaming stranger as the bookman in training. His hair was pointed into spikes; it was bright, red hair as well he had a dazzling orange scarf that almost trailed to the floor. Along with this he was wearing the exorcist's uniform which sparked a slight tinge of annoyance, to this so-called 'bystander'. He was wearing an eye patch, covering one eye as well as a shimmering emerald headband, to match the color of his one viable eye. He smiled at Allen and Komui devilishly, but Allen could tell it was fake. Everything about this guy was a lie, and Allen could tell because he was exactly the same.

"Huh? When did he come in?" Komui muttered to himself while watching Lavi grin mischievously.

"Noah is a name not mentioned outside of historical text, the name of a groundless family. They often appear in the crossroads of history, but they're never recorded in the books." A smug smile adorned Lavi's lips as Allen gasped at just how much the bookman actually knew about the Noah. "Those guys appeared alongside an Earl. That's why Komui came here. To ask the only guy in the world who knows of unrecorded history. The bookm-"before he could finish his speech, treating Allen and Komui like they were kids in grade school, he was cut of abruptly by a boot to the face.

A short man, who had his hair tied up on top of his head in a single pony tail, who was also wearing an exorcist's uniform had crashed into Lavi sending him flying. Allen guessed this to be the current bookman, by his characteristic black tattoos that shadowed his eyes, making him almost look like a panda.

"Blabbermouth!" he snapped at Lavi, who was now lying on the ground, facedown. "How many warnings will it take for you to listen!" he yelled at Lavi who was now shakily standing up from the ground. "Haven't I told you that bookman is the only who can talk about bookman?" Bookman seemed about to lash out at Lavi again and was holding his fists tight as Lavi only grinned and chuckled at his reaction, before pushing him over the edge.

"Who cares about somethin' like that? I'm gonna be the next bookman pretty soon after you, anyway." Bookman seemed like his patience was running out, he shoved his head in front of Lavi who only grinned and yelled "Greenhorn! An inexperienced kid like you has a long way to go, you fool!"

Lavi didn't miss a beat before leaning forward and replying "Y-you old panda…" Bookman replied in an instant with a smack on the back of the head, to which Lavi yelped in pain and muttered "Ouch."

The two seemed fairly pre-occupied with their argument but Allen decided to interrupt- he was getting frustrated at these people and also felt like he needed to prove himself, by showing them he was neither child nor moron.

"So I'm assuming your bookman, and you're his apprentice?" Both Lavi and Bookman looked at Allen with wide eyes, knowing no one from the order had mentioned them before.

"Allen Walker…" bookman muttered under his breath, but Allen being who he was heard it easily.

He smiled back at them before replying "Bookmen. Your job is to investigate things that don't show up in history, so-called 'unrecorded history' and record it."Lavi, being the first to recover from the stunned silence, put his arms casually behind his head impressed at how much this kid knew.

He replied "It's a tough job, as you might imagine…" earning another punch to the head from bookman, who had also recently recovered.

"Keep your trap shut!" he growled at Lavi, raising his fist again as a threat. Lavi smirked and rubbed his head, where he had been already pounded twice in the same day. Bookman looked back at Allen and Komui who were staring with confused expressions on each of their faces.

"Now we are becoming exorcists with a duty." Bookman explained, offering a hand to shake with Allen. "I do not have a name…As you know, just call me bookman." Allen nodded slowly, shaking bookman's hand with his regular one. He felt the regular surge of hatred course through his body as he touched the man's innocence. For a bookman, his synchro rate was unusually high…not that he could talk…Allen chuckled to himself as he remembered he was a Noah with a synchro rate on par with a general.

"Now let's see that eye..." Bookman said with a slightly curious tone, motioning everyone except Allen to leave.

After all the bandages had been unwrapped, exposing the empty socket, Bookman was amazed at what Allen had just said. After covering up his right he, he said he could still see fine. Bookman was unsure of this child…he somehow could see through an empty socket, that just wasn't right and would have to be recorded. Bookman decided to test out the statement, covering Allen's right eye completely in bandages, then holding up a certain amount of fingers and asking Allen to tell him how many there were each time. To Allen, this was amusing to say the least. His eye had been damaged in the dream realm, he had come to realize this and that it was fine but was just activated. This meant that there were Akuma somewhere around and just weren't close enough to trigger the full affect of the eye activating. Bookman actually seemed surprised when he gave the correct answer every time.

Allen smile to himself, even without looking with his left eye, he was able to tell how many fingers the man was holding up. Every action, every movement no matter how slight, had an accompanying sound, or tune as Allen called it. Each of Bookman's fingers had a different one, and Allen could easily tell exactly what he was doing without the help of vision. Allen smiled, smugly at bookman before closing his right eye, then getting the answer right again. Bookman eyed Allen curiously, knowing that this couldn't be by chance and he would have to record it. He sighed, unwrapping the right eye, and then rewrapping the left.

"I see you're cursed..." bookman muttered.

As if an involuntary action, Allen raised his left arm touching his left eye tenderly before replying "yes."

Bookman looked down on the child, before replying "At any rate, take it easy for now. Until Miss Lina awakens there is nothing that can be done. There is no need to hurry." Bookman bid Allen farewell to go and meet with Komui.

Allen touched his eye again, bringing back memories of the night he turned Mana into an Akuma, but this only made him feel another pang of homesickness as he tried to shake it off. Deciding fresh air would be the best cure; he pulled on his exorcist's attire and decided to take a walk.

After opening the door, he stepped out, only to see the bookman apprentice leaning against the wall with a large grin before asking "How'd it go?"

Allen smiled slightly before replying "Um, he said I don't need any special treatment."

Lavi grinned again and more stated than asked "Well, for a change of pace, let's take a walk!" Allen sighed, he was planning on taking a walk anyway, but he guessed having some company wouldn't be too bad. He smiled back up at Lavi as he began to stride off as Allen reluctantly trudged behind him.

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	17. Chapter 17  Fallen Angel

**Note: Thanks for all the reviews; also I just wanted to add. Just so everyone knows, I did not magically forget about cross and knowing about the 14****th**** and everything. In this fanfic, because the 14****th**** awakens in Allen, I assumed that the will of the fourteenth was lost. So everyone who had the will of the fourteenth no longer remembered anything about it. Not only does this mean that Cross doesn't know about Allen, it also means that the person who is mentioned to have requested protection from the earl in exchange for information regarding the fourteenth to central did not exist. Basically saying the Order as well as Central is clueless about the Noah.**

Chapter 17

The walk wasn't nearly as bad as Allen was dreading. Allen had been zoned out most of the time, intently listening to the conversation between Komui and Bookman about the Noah. Since he was the musician, his hearing was elevated to a super-natural level so he heard every word clearly, even when he was three streets down. Luckily, from what Allen had heard, even the elusive Bookman didn't know much about the Noah. All he had said is that the Noah were identified as having ashen skin color, along with golden eyes and 7 stigmata on their foreheads. That was enough to recognize a Noah, but only if they were in their Noah form, which not many Noah pranced around in- sure it was their natural form but no Noah was stupid enough to go out in public while looking like that…except maybe the twins.

The conversation with who Allen now knew to be 'Lavi' was fairly one sided. He spent most of it introducing himself as Allen only responded about half the time, but that was enough to keep Lavi going. Lavi was shocked to learn Allen was only 15, where as he as 18. They had been talking for awhile about pointless subjects, before Lavi brought up girls. Allen was on the verge of sleeping after listening Lavi discuss the different details of a girl's dress that was apparently a 'strike' for him. After realizing Lavi had a hint of mockery underneath his voice, he decided to actually contribute to the conversation.

"But I thought Bookman aren't allowed to get attached to anyone?" Allen asked, with a smirk on his face.

Lavi's facial expression fell, as his cheeks turned bright crimson as he stuttered a response "Y..Yeah that's right I guess."

Allen sniggered and grinned, with the slightest hint of pride, as Lavi retorted "Hey, I doubt you've done anything either, plus your only 15!"

This made Allen burst out laughing, before replying darkly "You'd be surprised…" trailing off remembering his 'farewell party'.

A prideful smirk crossed his lips, which did not go unnoticed by Lavi. "Oh, so you have done somthin' ay?" His mouth spread into a mischievous grin as Allen simply shrugged, leaving the question unanswered.

Allen realized the direction this conversation was headed so he abruptly changed the subject "What's up with your eye-patch?" Lavi grimaced, before it turned back into another smile and replying "What's up with your eye?" Allen chuckled slightly, having already foreseen this answer.

Lavi's attitude was fake, Allen knew that much, but he somehow knew that in a different life, they could have been great friends. Allen was curious to see where the bookman's loyalties actually lay so he asked cautiously "Hey Lavi, being a Bookman and all. I was thinking, if a bookman who was currently 'acting' as an exorcist, knew something vital that could help the order, or had suspicions of something that could destroy it, would they tell anyone?"

Lavi sighed; as his happy façade fell again before staring directly back at Allen. "I would normally say, 'yes of course!' but something about you makes me feel like you're trustworthy. I am a bookman, and am only acting as an exorcist, so the only person I would tell would be the current Bookman so he could record it." To Lavi's surprise, Allen seemed somewhat pleased with his answer.

Allen gazed up at Lavi before patting his shoulder and calling after him "I'm heading back, cya round Lavi!" Lavi nodded, now standing alone in empty streets, while pondering at his thoughts.

_There's something about that kid….There is just something about him. Maybe it's the way he always wears the same innocence smile, or the way his silvery eyes show deepest regret as if he has seen far too much than someone his age should have. Well, of course he has, this was war, but there was something hidden in his innocent gaze, and Lavi was curious to find out what._

Once Allen arrived back at the hotel, he wasn't surprised to see Komui standing outside, waving at him franticly. Allen trudged towards him, before realizing Lavi was also not far behind him. Once they reached Komui, he explained about their new mission.

"You will be looking for General Cross. He has not made contact with the order in quite some time, but we have received information of his whereabouts in a town not too far from here, where he made contact with the Baron at the castle there. You are to investigate the matter, to try and locate him, understood?" Allen and Lavi both nodded simultaneously, knowing it was pointless to argue.

Once they were almost upstairs Allen asked "Why doesn't this general guy keep contact with the Order?"

Allen had heard a lot from The Earl about the troublesome fellow called Cross Marian. Apparently, he was one of the strongest Generals alive and had two anti Akuma weapons, making him a feared opponent. The Earl had mentioned to be very careful around him, but that the general was also very arrogant, neglecting his duty as a general, as well as disobeying the order. All these things contributed to make the man a interesting fellow, which led to the twins being sent to find, and kill him. They had been on the mission for months before Allen left, returning each night unsuccessful which amused every other Noah greatly. Listening to them complain about the man, and him leaving debts however, was far more difficult that it sounded.

"I dunno, I've never met him. We'll just have to see then wont we?" Lavi interrupted, making Allen nod hastily.

They boarded the train hastily with Bookman, Lavi and Allen all in a first class cabin on their way to this town. Allen realized he didn't even know exactly where they were going to he questioned "So, what's this town actually called?"

Lavi chuckled at his naivety, before replying "Bukott Angyal"

Allen shuddered involuntary, something about that name. It was familiar, oh so familiar but he couldn't remember where. Cold sweat beaded his forehead, as Lavi called out in distress "You alright, moyashi?"

Allen snapped back "The name's Allen! Yes I'm fine; it just feels like I remember that name from somewhere." Lavi shrugged as Allen tried to think of where he had heard it before. The train ride passed with hours of silence. Lavi has fallen asleep as Allen and Bookman both seemed to be deep in thought. The train reached its destination as Allen tried to drag Lavi off the train.

Once they were outside, noticing the forest around them Allen asked "Is where we are staying?"

Lavi burst out laughing before retorting "For a chipmunk yes." Allen couldn't help but laugh at his own foolishness; it was a pretty dumb question, and asking someone like Lavi was a big mistake.

Bookman sighed before explaining "We are staying in a small town just north of here. The train changes direction, away from the town we're heading to, so we have to walk the rest of the way." Allen sighed, he knew this was coming but was hoping he wouldn't have to walk anywhere. They began their slow-paced trudge to the small village, as dusk swept the horizon, soon followed by the midnight blue sky. Allen enjoyed simply being outside at night, to stare at the moon and the stars that entranced him so. He loved full moons, and always begged to sleep outside when they occurred. The Earl happily agreed most of the time, so camping was among one of his favorite things to do while he was out.

They reached the town at a little past midnight, almost collapsing from exhaustion before reaching the inn. Allen was luckily enough to have his own room, this was in turn lucky for the bookmen also in that his stomach that had not been fed in almost a day was growling like a ferocious beast. After he reached his room, he waved goodbye to the bookmen and lay back on the bed, dropping all his belongings and not bothering to change. He fell asleep, not long after and was looking forward to reporting to Road in his dreams.

It was that time again, as Road was pestering Tyki, he reminded her once again that she was to collect information from Allen through her dream world. Being fairly impatient as she was, she had a tendency to tune-out half way through any conversation, leaving the important parts mostly unheard. She skipped off happily to her room, eager to catch up with Allen. Even though she had seen him recently in real life, that wasn't the Allen she knew, it was her brother taking control for awhile. She didn't mind that, she loved him too, but in a completely different way. Now she knew that it would be the real Allen that she'd get to talk to, and she was ecstatic about it.

She felt the feeling of Allen's mind tugging at hers as he fell into the realms of unconscious as she prepared her more formal attire for their meeting.

_She entered her dream world, trying to find the presence that was somehow there but was not. After what seemed like hours of searching she found a spark of light in one of the corners. Assuming it was Allen she pounced forward in order to grab whatever the light was. When she was in range however, the light looked more like a hole in the ground leading somewhere else. She was not prepared for this, but decided to try it out anyway. Reaching out slowly to touch the side of the hole, she was then dragged from her dream world into someone else's mind._

_She knew instantly that it must be Allen's but all she could see were white halls. Road walked slowly, looking around steadily noticing the walls around her were all completely white, and looked like almost reflective surfaces. The ground was the same, which intrigued her and contributing to her increasing her pace from a walk to a slow jog. Road spied the end of the long tunnel up ahead, as brilliant white light shone through, effectively blinding her. The light slowly began to fade, revealing a small room which most of the walls looked the same as the ones in the corridor. Her attention was drawn to the centre of the room, where two figures were sitting. _

_They both noticed her presence and turned around to look at her, one with wide fearful eyes and the other with eyes full of mourning. The one on the right, she instantly recognized as her brother Neah. His jet black, wavy hair as well as the dark Noah complexion and for the first time she had ever seen, he looked horrified by whatever he was looking at earlier. The other turned around, he looked like the white Allen with every feature identical, except for his eyes which were full of guilt. _

_He broke into a smile when he saw her enter and called out "Road!" His smile soon faded as he began to explain what she was seeing. "You're inside Allen's mind right now. I am the keeper of his collective unconscious, the one who stores all his memories. Beside me as you know, is Neah, the Noah side of Allen. He is here with me, because Allen is having a nightmare. He was sent on a mission by the Order to a town called 'Bukott Angyal'." _

_Road interrupted "That…that means Fallen Angel in Hungarian, if I remember correctly..." _

_The dream Allen smiled and replied "Correct. It is a town that is from his past from before he met Mana. His 'nightmares' are actually memories of his past that he suppressed so far into his unconscious, that he could never retrieve them…" _

_Road gaped at what she just heard… what exactly had happened to Allen that made even Neah curl his lips in disgust? _

"_You can watch if you want…but if you do, you have to see it through to the end of these memories." The dream Allen pointed out. Road took a step forward, she had to see what had happened to Allen before he met Mana. After years of living with the Noah, he had never mentioned a word of it to anyone, and even when she snooped around in his subconscious, she could never find a trace of what had happened to him. _

"_What…What happened to him?" she stuttered, as Dream Allen grabbed her arm, showing her the screen in front of both him and Neah before replying_

"_See for yourself…"_

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	18. Some Memories are Best Left Forgotten

Chapter 18

Road peered into the screen, before it consumed her, transporting her into Allen's nightmare. She quickly determined that she could not be seen, and could not communicate, all she could do was watch.

The setting appeared around her, it was a hospital room, with the regular stool and some flowers. In the one bed, there lay a woman, who was deathly pale. She had shoulder-length chestnut hair, as well as kind silvery-blue eyes and she was desperately clutching something. It was a child, and he had the same chestnut colored hair and eyes. Everything about him was perfect, except for his left arm. The doctors will half way through telling the dying mother that the child had a deformed arm. She simply shrugged it off, not caring about the appearance of her only son. Soon there was a man in the room, he was crying silently while watching his wife die.

"Never, give up…Allen. Keep walking until the day you die…" the woman gasped for air, but none would enter her throat, she drew her last breath after telling the child she named Allen never to give up. The man in the room screamed in agony, watching his wife slowly choke to death, tears cascaded down his face as he smashed the floor in rage with his fist. Her grip on the child relaxed, as her arms fell limply by her sides, as the doctor picked up the child to give to the father.

The father looked up, slowly before whispering "It's all your fault…" to the child who was little over a day old.

5 years later..

Allen was creeping down the halls of the house, fearing to make even the slightest sound. He knew that his father had been out drinking again, and all hell would break loose if he awoke. Allen was terrified of leaving the safety of the shadows; they comforted him, giving him a place to hide. His father…the one, who was meant to love him, caused him so much pain and suffering. Ever since his mother died, he was unable to hold a job, and spent all the money on drinking. When he was drunk, he often went into frothing rages, and if Allen was ever caught in them, he would be beaten so badly he wouldn't be able to leave 'that' room for days.

After five years of living in terror, he wasn't sure why he even tried anymore, surely it would be easier just to die, and never have to suffer like this again, but there was always something that stopped him. A voice, telling him to never give up, and keep moving forward, though he had no idea if the voice was a memory or not, it was the only thing that kept him living through this hell.

Allen had made it up the stairs successfully, not spotting his father anywhere, leaving only the last hallway before he could crawl into his room and hide. He had been out for the last three days, in the alleyways of the town he lived near, feeding on the creatures he caught there. All the inhabitants cursed his existence, and always muttered about him when they saw him. He didn't know why, but he would always hear everything they said, no matter how much he didn't want to. Catching the creatures he found was his only food source now; his father used to go shopping so at least he could feed himself, but stopped that after a few years. Now, the only thing his father would buy would be booze, and Allen hated it.

Allen hated people staring at him, insulting him when they thought he wouldn't hear, he hated this way of living, but the town provided sanctuary for at least a few days, while allowing his father to calm down. Allen really wanted to know what he'd done to make his father hate him so much, all he wanted to know was 'why?' and the only answer he was ever gives was 'It's all your fault…'

Allen didn't even know what he had done, but it must have been something terrible, so he tried to apologize, but that seemed to just enrage his father even more. It wasn't his fault that he had the same chestnut brown hair as his mother, the same silvery blue eyes and innocent smile. All of these attributes contributed to his father unable to look at him, because it reminded him of his deceased wife.

Allen decided to make a dash for his room; the hallway didn't have nearly enough shadows to hide in effectively so he decided to run for it. He set off, running as fast as he could, before his father appeared from the last door in the hallway. Allen froze a look of pure terror on his face as his father stared at him with a sinister smirk. He began to step towards Allen slowly, but the huge steps were closing the gap fast. Allen shuddered and took a step back, accidently bumping a small table which had one of his mother's old vases on it. I

t was such a small bump, but it managed to unbalance the vase as is crashed to the ground, shattering, as Allen began to sob "no…no" his father, was now enraged beyond belief, as alcohol reeked from his breath and he grabbed Allen's regular arm, ripping it out of its socket and then lifting Allen into the air by it. The child screaming in pain, it felt like his arm was being pulled off, as his father's face was filling with anger every second. He seemed satisfied at the injury to his arm, then he dragged Allen off towards 'that' room by his dislocated shoulder. Allen screamed the whole way shouting "No! Please no!

The heavy door leading to 'that' room swung open, as his father threw his inside, by his dislocated shoulder earning another scream. The door crashed shut as his father stepping inside. Even Road, the silent observer could not take was what coming next. She screwed her eyes shut and covered her ears with her hands. This did little to negate Allen's screaming, and his father's satisfied grunts, nor to cover the sound of what sounded like a whip, cracking against Allen's bare back. It felt like hours, of Allen screaming until his throat went horse as he was no longer able to make a sound. With the occasional choked cry from Allen or the yell of his father saying 'it was all his fault'.

The cracking of the whip stopped, as Road opened her eyes to see Allen curled into a ball on the ground, and his father placing the whip back on the wall along with many other weapons of that sort. Road stared in horror at the pool of crimson liquid gathering underneath the small child, as he managed to whimper "…why, father?" This earned his father's undivided attention, and also a boot to the face, leaving Allen lying on his back on the cold stone.

"Don't EVER call me that, demon-child!" he spat with disgust before exiting the room, leaving Allen lying there bleeding and helpless.

Allen just lay there, completely still, almost lifeless for what seemed like days. The only correlation that he was still alive was his slow, unsteady gasps for breath, as well as a faint heart beat. Road could see how much pain he was in, and wanted to help desperately, but was only able to watch his suffering. When he finally gained enough strength to move, he crawled over to one of the corners of the dark room. Using his left arm to pop his right's socket back into place, he grunted at the sharp pain, but that was nothing compared to what else he was going through at that time.

He needed to get out. That much was clear; he hadn't eaten in days and the only place he would find food would be the streets of the town that despised him so. He had heard his father leave the small house earlier, and was still yet to return. Allen decided he'd use this time to escape and get some food for himself.

Almost dragging himself out of the room, he made his way to the window, painfully sluggishly. Once he reached it, trying to stay in the safety of the shadows, he pulled himself up to a standing position with his left arm. Slowly and agonizingly, he dragged himself out of the window. Holding onto the edge with only his left arm, he forced his legs to move along the window sill, slowly lowering his body down to the ground.

His left arm lost its grip on the window, letting his body tumble to the ground with a resounding CRACK. He knew he had broken at least 1 bone from the fall, but that didn't matter to him. He just needed to get away… He crawled out of the vicinity of the house, and slowly towards the forest. Reaching the safe-haven of the trees, he was able to find two branches to use as crotches. He realized quickly, that it was his ankle that had broken; by the pain he felt whenever he moved it.

Once getting used to the crotches, he used them to slowly make his way into town. Sometimes, the townsfolk were so disgusted at his sight, that they would throw apple cores his way. This was very rare, but it was Allen's favorite treat. In his life, he'd never had a proper apple, but judging by their cores, they must be delicious. His mouth watered at the mere thought as he neared town, spotting the familiar small church, as well as the side streets of shops. Finding a familiar ally to rest in, Allen slumped down against the side of a small shop.

They were a small restaurant who threw their cooking scraps into a bin outside the shop. The bin itself was like a shop to Allen, as he picked and chose what he wanted to eat. He loved it when he was able to find bread scraps in the bin, but along with apple cores it was a rarity.

A young couple walked hand in hand along the street, before spotting Allen slumped over in the Ally. They muttered to each other, before walking on but Allen heard every word.. "I thought the town decided to get rid of him?" "They did, they just said to wait until he came back into town…" "We should go tell everyone…That demon-child is nothing but a bad omen to this town, ever since he was born, there hasn't been a single decent harvest." "Yeah, I wish the town had decided to get rid of him earlier, but at least they are acting now." The couple giggled, and glanced coldly at the boy they had no idea heard every word.

Allen shuddered; they were going to 'get rid' of him for good? This was not good; he had to get out of here before something terrible happened. He grabbed his branches and headed for the forest as quickly as he could. Allen reached the edge of the forest in time to see the majority of the town, standing where he had been minutes earlier, as they all seemed to be looking for him.

Once he reached one of the largest trees, he slumped over once again. Only one question remained as he muttered to thin air "What did I do to deserve this…?" then he passed out. Road hovered there, watching in horror, she had seen everything that had just happened to Allen, she could also hear his thoughts, this was so tragic and made her hate humans more than she already did..

He had been in the forest for a few days, eating the leaves that he could find. They didn't taste nice, but it was the only thing he could eat. He decided to return home on the third day, praying that his father had calmed down. Using the branches he'd been using as support for his broken ankle, he hobbled towards his house.

After almost an hour, he could see it from down the street. He didn't know what it was, but something inside him was screaming to run away, to not go near it. He didn't know what it was, but he kept walking forward, as the feeling of dread grew ever stronger. He reached the front door and realized something was off.

He couldn't smell the constant stench of alcohol that lingered around his house like a cloud. That also contributed to the little voice that was telling him to get as far away as he could. Slowly, he pushed the door open to reveal his father sitting in the dining room. He wasn't drunk, he looked like he had shaved and cleaned himself up.

Allen could only stare, what did this mean? The little voice was now louder shouting at him to RUN.

His father smiled back at him, before gesturing to the chair beside him and saying "Sit down Allen." Allen was stunned; his body was physically not moving no matter how much Allen commanded it to.

Did this mean his father had forgiven him for whatever he had done? Does this mean he can finally say that he had a family? Allen forced himself to limp over to where his father gestured to sit down. Since Allen was so short at this age, he had to crawl up onto the chair before looking at his father suspiciously.

The sun shone through the open window, and revealed something glinting from underneath his father's coat. As quickly as Allen had spotted it, he was now holding Allen's right arm and had pulled out the weapon. It was a large butcher's knife, as he looked down at Allen still with the same smile plastered on. Allen was panicking, trying desperately to make his father release his grip on his right hand. He struggled but it was no use, his father had him in an iron grip.

_So does this mean he is going to end it all? To end his suffering by getting rid of the thing that makes him remember his wife…_

A maniac grin crossed his father's face as he whispered "It's all your fault.." Allen gaped, realizing he was going to die here; he struggled more fiercely, as the voice told him to never give up. His father slowly dragged the knife along his right arm; cutting it so deep it almost hit the bone. He cut many veins as blood poured from the open wound. Allen screamed in agony, loosing blood fast.

He didn't know what happened, but his left arm grabbed his father's hand that was holding him in place, and managed to release himself from the grip. He stumbled out of the chair, loosing blood fast and only on the verge of consciousness. He managed to limp out of the room as fast as he could, trying to head into town to hopefully get some help. If his father had given chase, then he would have been caught, but his father just stood in the living room covered in his son's blood before collapsing to his knees crying.

Allen hobbled out of the house and back into the forest, but he knew he needed medical attention from a doctor if he was going to survive. He limped through the pain, finding his way into town. Not bothering to hide himself, he limped into the middle of the street, calling out for help from anyone that heard. The town's people looked at him in horror, seeing his hands – no whole body covered in blood. The first to react was a man in his mid thirties; he was coincidently the town's priest.

He shrieked "MURDERER!" which was accompanied by a chorus of cries from the rest of the townsfolk. Allen saw the townsfolk running towards what looked like the town hall as he felt consciousness slipping from his grasp. Allen was forced to his knees, as the pain from his ankle as well as his arm was almost unbearable.

Minutes later all the townsfolk seemed to emerge from the same building, all holding torches and stakes. Allen stared in horror, he feared the worst, and sprinted away from the group as fast as he could. He wasn't moving nearly as fast as any of them were, and had almost caught up to him once he reached the forest. He kept running, for what seemed like hours until he collapsed by a lake from the exhaustion.

The townsfolk all gathered together, discovered him lying by a lake, barely conscious. Allen could hear them discussing what to do next, he really didn't want to hear what they were saying, but he could hear every word just as clearly as if they were speaking directly to him. "We should burn him" the apparent leader of the group suggested.

"No we should crucify him!" the priest added. They all turned to Allen, grabbing their stakes, and stepped forward to beat him with the blunt ends. The beating continued as Allen's screaming died down; his throat was so hoarse he couldn't even speak, though choked sobs still escaped his lips. The once the leader seemed satisfied, he uttered that the demon-boy was now going to be crucified.

Allen shuddered, as he was only able to ask one thing "Why?"

"You're a monster." The priest spat coldly. The entire crowd turned around to face him, snarling in disgust as Allen felt tears well up in his eyes. Not tears from being tortured, hurt and beat to a bloody pulp, tears of having being crushed, emotionally.

A new voice perked up from out of the crowd, grabbing Allen's attention "If you townsfolk wouldn't mind we wouldn't mind taking that boy for ourselves, we are in need of more people like him." The crowd muttered in agreement, before handing the child over to jolly looking man wearing striped pants and a large overcoat. Allen felt darkness blurring his vision, as he slipped into the familiar realms of unconsciousness.

His eyes opened slowly, to reveal a whole crowd of faces that he didn't recognize. He saw children of many ages, adults too, laughing and pointing at him, and he heard words that crushed him "Look it's that demon-child." "Hey mummy, does the demon-child bite?" "haha, it's so ugly. It belongs here"

Allen looked around…where was here? He noticed other cages around himself, all with other people in them. He read the labels on each, in the first cage, it was labeled 'Bearded Woman!' and sure enough there was a woman sitting in the corner, who large a large black beard.

Allen looked around and the other cage to the right of him, there was a short man, not much taller than Allen sitting down looking at the ground with dull eyes. Allen then noticed that the man was not that short, but had his legs mostly chopped off, leaving deformed stumps. His hands were also deformed, and only hand two fingers. Allen read the label 'Lobster Boy' as he began to realize where he was.

The man that had carted him out of the forest, walked up to Allen's cage and smiled, before saying "Welcome to the Freak-show section of the circus, Demon-child."

Page 2 of 2


	19. Chapter 19  Circus

Chapter 19

"I'm not a…demon." Allen whimpered back to the Circus Instructor, eyes wide with fear, but hidden beneath the misty gray orbs, an emotion that Allen had never felt- hatred.

"Then what are you, because you're clearly not human?" he spat, glancing at the newest member with disgust. Allen shivered, that comment had almost broke him, at the moment, he was far more than fragile. Almost being murdered by your only living family member, then again by the townsfolk leaves a lasting impression on one so young. He didn't understand, what he had done to deserve this- but one thing was clear and it finally sunk in…_It was all his fault_. He felt the hot, stinging tears about to flow freely once more, before he shook them off, reaching a decision.

The weak, defenseless 'Allen' would no longer exist, and no would ever know the real 'Allen'. He would be long gone, forgotten and in his place, he'd wear a mask. To conceal everything, his past and his suffering, his torment- from everyone… even himself.

The Circus Instructor stared curiously at the new Demon-child who had joined the Freak section. Just a minute ago, he looked like he'd been on the verge of crying, breaking apart from the insults, before he dropped his head suddenly.

A few minutes later, the boy lifted his head to gaze directly at the crowd, with cold, now lifeless eyes. His expressionless face left many in the crowd slightly fearful, as he stared straight at them, but seemed to be looking past them. He altered his stare, so he was looking directly at the Circus manager, who also seemed to be intimidated by him.

"What am I you ask? I don't know…but you're right…" his previously lifeless stare turned into a maniac grin as he raised his voice so all the crowd could hear "I guess I'm no human..But why would I want to be? I'm happy being a 'monster', an 'abomination', a 'freak', a 'Demon-child.'" Quoting the townspeople he had heard insulting him. His grin grew ever wider as he concluded his speech "I guess... I'm just a liar" Allen spat, surprising the whole crowd who simultaneously quivered at the harshness in the young boy's voice.

Allen rammed his small frame against the iron bars of his cage, using his left arm to grab the collar of one of the children in the first row who looked around his own age.

"Scared?" Allen whispered, tightening his hold as the boy's parents were shouting and trying pull their child out of the 'demon's' grasp. The boy was terrified of the freak that was holding him, as tears began to fall down from his puffy-red eyes. Allen smirked at the reaction before leaning in, bringing the small child's face within inches of his own "Must be nice…To have a family, a house, siblings, food…I hope you enjoy your life…" with that, Allen released his hold as the boy slumped to the ground with him family trying to calm him.

Realization hit the boy on the ground, something that hadn't dawned on anyone else in the entire town. _The 'demon' child is just a boy, around my own age, he isn't a monster…he's just a child._

The young boy simply stared back at Allen with wide eyes then stood, offering a hand to the boy behind the bars. Allen eyed the child suspiciously, even though he looked older than himself, Allen had seen far too much to be classified as a mere child.

Allen reached out; shaking the boy's hand with his right arm, and the boy smiled and replied "My name is Finn, what's yours?" Allen stared at the child in shock, a few minutes ago the child had been remarking about what a monster Allen was and now he was introducing himself? Allen smiled back at the child, as the whole crowd seemed to stare in horror.

"I guess my name is Allen." The boy was immediately pulled back by his parents who were telling him how dangerous the 'demon-boy' was but Finn just smiled through it, knowing that he was nothing more than a child.

After their ridiculously long rant, Finn smiled back up at his parents, sticking his hand out and raising his pointer finger then gestured to the 'demon-child' before announcing "His name is Allen."

A year later

After living with the circus troupe for almost a year, Allen had gotten to know the other 'Freaks' also, in addition to learning how to perform as a clown. It was the closest thing to a family that he had ever felt, so even though they changed towns weekly, he still felt at home as long as he was with the group. Allen was only 6 and a half when Cosimo joined. Cosimo was also directed under the 'Freak' section of the circus, but for an entirely different reason. Everyone else in the Freak section, Allen regarded as his family and were each characterized by their appearance, labeling them 'freaks'. Cosimo joined, and no one seemed to understand why he was also classified as one.

The troupe soon learned just why he was under this category, as he did not have anything physically wrong with him, only mentally. He had anger management according to the staff, which never ended well when anyone 'stole his spotlight'. It ended in being beaten so badly, the victim would not be able to move for the next few days.

It was ironic to say the least to Allen; he had been wearing his mask for so long, he had forgotten about his life before he joined the troupe. Once he met Cosimo, memories began to flood back, mainly of his father. It was ironic in that he managed to find a family, but only to have someone for fill the position of his father.

To say that Allen and Cosimo didn't get along would be a massive understatement, the first time they met needed up with Allen almost in a coma, which Cosimo was then chained up for a week for. This only served to enrage him further, making Allen's life hell whenever he was involved. Luckily, Allen's family tried their best to look out for him, which gave him more comfort than he had ever felt in his entire life.

It was precisely 2 years after Allen joined the troupe that a new clown joined named Mana. The troupe welcomed him with opened arms, as they were mainly a 'show' circus meaning they specialized in showing off their 'freaks' and having them perform tricks, so it was a rarity to have a clown join. Being under that section, Allen had only met Mana a few times but they had never actually talked. It was Christmas night as Allen was ordered to bring some food out to Mana. When he found the mysterious clown, he was sitting hunched over a grave with a dog's ball on top.

"Is he dead?" Allen asked coldly, with both hands in his pockets, pretending to look away.

"He's dead." Mana replied solemly, till hunched over staring at the grave.

"He's covered in bruises." Added Allen thoughtfully, then continued "Cosimo proably did it. 'Cause the audience likes you more than him. He hates it when people are better than him. He's got no talent, except when it comes to stuff like this.." Allen sat down next to Mana sighing and placing his head between his hands.

Mana started filling in the grave before replying "He was an old dog. He wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway. It's all right…"

Allen grunted, clearly displeased with the answer, then inquired "You're not gonna get revenge?"

Mana shook his head slowly, while muttering a prayer. He looked back at Allen before replying "If I do that, I'll get thrown out of here and won't get paid." Allen rested his head on his right hand, and struck a thoughtful pose as Mana continued "I'm a newcomer after all. After Christmas tomorrow I'll move on somewhere new.."

Allen muttered "I see." In truth, he didn't want Mana to go. He had only met the man a couple of times, but he greatly enjoyed his company.

Mana tilted his head to the side and grabbed his knees with his arms. "Hrmm? Who are you anyway?" Allen felt slightly hurt that the clown didn't recognize him, oh well he didn't expect him to anyway.

Allen explained "I do odd jobs around here, and I'm part of the 'freak; section…I've brought you dinner before."

"I have a bad memory for faces." Retorted the clown, then licked his finger and raised it pointing towards Allen. "Oh my, you're covered in bruises too aren't you?" He then used his finger to attempt to rub off some of the grime that encrusted Allens face.

Allen jumped backwards, trying desperately to rub the spit off his face and yelped "Wah gross! Get your spit off me dummy!"

Mana sat back up, regaining his posture then replied with a smug smile "It's disinfectant."

"Did Cosimo beat you up?" Mana asked in a slightly mocking tone.

"Shut up." Retorted Allen fiercely.

"Don't you have any friends?" Mana pressed on in his inquisition.

"Shut up!" Allen yelled back, then quieted down and replied thoughfully "When I grow up.. I'm getting out of here as soon as I'm strong enough, so I don't need any friends." His gaze returned back the the grave of the dog.

Mana grabbed the sides of his face, pulling it into a distorted position to attempt and cheer Allen up, who coldly asked "What're you doing..?" Mana stopped making the face, and sat back before asking "Didn't you think it was funny?" Allen laughed slightly before retorting "Sorry, but I don't like clowns and stuff. In fact, I hate 'em"

"My, my…Well I hate children who don't laugh." Replied Mana, facing away from him, as Allen did the same with a hmph.

Allen crossed his legs, then stared back at the grave before asking "Aren't you gonna cry?...He lived with you for a long time didn't he? Aren't you sad?" while Allen was distracted, Mana had set a fake noose around his neck, and pretended to be handing from a tree.

From this position he replied "So sad I could die."

Allen turned around and yelped "QUIT IT!"

"But I can't cry." Mana continued.

_Is this guy dangerous?_

Allen thought to himself silently. Mana was removing the noose from his neck and continued "Maybe all my tears are dried up. They just won't come."

Allen looked back at the grave before muttering "What's up with that?"

After a few minutes of silence, Allen spoke up "What was his name? He licked my hand yesterday…his tongue was warm. So. How come I'm crying over him?"

Tears flowed down Allen's face as he sniffled slightly. Mana stood there for awhile looking down at him before muttering "Ah…so you were Allen's friend too."

Black encased the edges of the vision as Road regained her former consciousness. She was staring in disbelief at the Dream Allen and also at Neah, both of whom were sitting, staring at the floor.

"In Allen's nightmare, some parts of those memories were extended beyond what actually happened, mostly during the beatings…" Dream Allen added, still gazing at the ground. Road could only gape in disbelief at what she had just witnessed, no one deserved to suffer that much…and by the hands of one's own family… "Allen will be waking up soon, I have a feeling he slept-walked to one of the places from his memory. Please take care of him Road."

Road realized this would probably be her only chance to ask Dream Allen anything so she quickly added "Why doesn't Allen become a Fallen One like the rest who betray their innocence?"

Dream Allen looked at her, before smiling and replying simply "Because Allen is special." Road gaped, she didn't understand the meaning of this, but could only guess to what he meant. By this time, Neah was also staring at Dream Allen with a surprised expression.

"What do you mean?" Road called out, feeling herself slowly fading from the dimension.

"He is special. I guess...you could call him, God's Fallen Angel." Dream Allen replied, while waving goodbye and Neah simply sat, with a dumbfounded expression.

The world faded, as Road awoke in her bed, her skin shining, covered in sweat. She noticed Tyki sitting by her bedside, wearing a much tiered expression, which soon turned into a beaming smile when he realized she had awoken.

"What're you doing in here Tyki?" She asked playfully, as he placed a hand on her shoulder wearing a worried expression.

"I don't understand myself, but you were screaming. It was like you were having some sort of bad nightmare…"

He explained as Road shook her head slowly with a grimace, and then responded slowly "Not my nightmare…"

The sunlight filtered through the canopy of trees above his head, as the rays of light hit his face, his eyes slowly opened. In front of his, he saw an all too familiar pond, lying the exact same position as he had all those years ago. He could remember everything, about his family, about the town, about his father….Allen sat up slowly, his eyes flashed dangerously golden, as there was only one thing running through his mind.

Revenge.


	20. Chapter 20  Lavi'D

Chapter 20

"Road, where are you going?" Tyki shouted desperately to Road, who had pulled on a gown and was proceeding to run out of her room. She waved back at Tyki, gesturing for him to follow. He complied with a grunt, gathering his belongings from her room before stomping behind her. She stopped when she was a few doors down from her own room, right outside Allen's.

"…Road, what are we doing here?" Tyki was worried, usually she was the chatter-box and was hard to shut up, but now she wasn't uttering a word.

"We're saving Allen…" she whispered breathlessly, as Tyki struggled to comprehend what she meant.

"What, he is in danger? From who?" he asked, sounding more distraught.

"Yes… he's in danger. We're going to save him from himself…" She muttered quietly, leaving Tyki with his mouth wide open, not understanding what she meant. Road lifted her hand, summoning one of her doors, that lead seemingly into a forest.

"What do you mean…Just what did you see?" Tyki asked, suddenly afraid to hear the answer.

Road looked back at him, grabbing his hand and dragging him through the portal before whispering just loud enough so he could hear "More than I ever wanted to."

Tyki could only gasp in shock…this was… Road and she was… scared? No that's not possible. They emerged into a foreign forest, so thick that the sunlight barely filtered through the thick canopy.

Road was muttering to herself and Tyki could only just hear what she was saying, "Yes, this has to be it, I remember from the dream." She began skipping off, as again Tyki was left standing wondering just what was going on. He trudged behind Road, hoping that she may decide to answer some of his numerous unasked questions, the most important being 'Why are we in a forest?'.

Road halted several feet in front of where Tyki was standing, and she was gazing to the left, unable to turn away. Tyki sped up his pace to catch up to where Road had stopped, then he heard it.

A soft, cackling laughter, but it was not filled with any form of joy, only pain and sorrow. Road approached very slowly, being terribly frightened to make the slightest sound. She could see through the clearing, the source of the laughter. There was a clear lake, as the sun filtered through just enough to expose Allen. He was bending over, clutching the leaves on the ground as if they were his lifeline, and through his laughter, Road could also see tears splashing to the ground.

Tyki stepped forward once more, desperate to see what had caught Road's attention, he knew it had to be the source of the laughter, but he still had no idea what could send the eldest Noah into shock. He stepped directly behind her, gazing over her shoulder to the clearing that she was focusing on. Once again, his jaw dropped once he saw none other than Allen, laughing and crying softly.

Allen's head shot up, as his eyes flashed a dangerous gold. He began chanting rhythmically, just loud enough for his observer's to hear "Revenge. Revenge. Revenge." Tyki looked at Road, with a questioning gaze, asking her not only what the hell was going on, but also what to do. His jaw dropped further when he was what looked like a tear spill out of her down, caressing her cheek.

Road was unable to contain herself any longer, it hurt her so much to see Allen in a state like that, especially after she had seen what had happened to him. She pounced out from the bush her and Tyki were standing behind, landing squarely on Allen's chest interrupting his chanting, but also catching him off guard making them fall the ground.

Allen was in shock, was his mind playing tricks on him or was Road actually not only in the forest with him in real life, but on top of him, hugging him tenderly. He was too surprised to even move, as he mirrored Tyki's expression exactly as he had just watched the First Child not only CRY but pounce on the youngest.

"Wh..y… huh?" were the only words, well half words that came out of Allen's mouth. Tyki decided this would be a good time to expose himself, as he walked through the bush, casually lighting a cigarette and looking down on the two.

It took Allen a moment to realize, but then he saw Tyki's top hat as managed to make his of his words this time "Why are you two here?" Road giggled at his confusion, though was still sobbing slightly, as she clung to his chest refusing to release her grip.

Tyki smiled down at the two with mild amusement "Aparantly we are 'saving you from yourself'? Or something along those lines anyway." Tyki chuckled slightly as Allen's dark, lifeless expression returned.

He muttered "I…I want revenge."

Tyki looked at him wearing yet another dumb-founded expression before asking "On who exactly-" he would have finished if Road hadn't elbowed him in the stomach with a fierce expression hinting that she would explain later.

She knelt down beside Allen, as he had still not recovered from his last fall and she replied firmly "Not yet. I know you're close but you have to complete the mission."

Allen shook his head angrily, as his hatred burst through his well placed mask "They all have to die…"

Road cradled his head in her arms, as if he were a small child, then spoke "They will. Just not yet Allen."

He sighed, knowing there was no way to win an argument with her if she was this serious. He then sat up to look at Tyki, who had been pretending to look away from the scene unfolding in front of him…but secretly he had been devising a plan on letting Sheryl in on their little forest meeting.

Road glared coldly at him before stating "If you tell father ANYTHING, you will be my 'playmate' for the next few months, got it?" Tyki shuddered, he could only imagine the torture involved in 'playing' with her. Allen couldn't help but smile, he had missed his family so dearly recently, even this kind of argument was a blessing to him.

"Oi! Moyashi! Where are you!" a voice broke the bickering between Tyki and Road who looked around in panic. Allen was freaking out; he was as good as dead if the Bookman discovered him here with two Noah. Road acted quickly, summoning a door below her and Tyki, and the two sunk back into a different dimension. Road jumped up quickly, blowing a kiss to allen and winking at him before the two disappeared.

Allen was left with a slight bluish, as Lavi burst through the nearest bush with a smirk on his face, _this wouldn't end well…_ Allen told himself silently.

The slightly rosy cheeks did not go unnoticed by the Bookman Apprentice as he questioned Allen intently "So Allen…What are you doing out here all by yourself? By the look on your face, I don't want to know."

He giggled to himself noticing the teen's reaction as the slight blush turned into a bright crimson spreading across his entire face.

"I don't know what you're talking about Baka! I just slept walked and ended up here…" Lavi grinned again, obviously not buying a single word.

"Sure, sure…anyway the old panda told me to find you, we need to get going if we're going to catch the train." Allen hauled himself up, trotting behind Lavi in silence, as his blush still hadn't disappeared completely.

They had been walking for what seemed like hours in complete silence before Lavi spoke up again, still in the same playful tone "So what do you think of Linalee, Moyashi?"

"It's Allen, baka usagi." He snapped, before answering the question, deciding the consequences would be worse if he avoided it "Well, she's nice." He replied, pleased with his simple answer, but Lavi was evidently not.

"Just 'nice'? Wow Allen haha are you suuure there's not something else you want to ad?"

"No" Allen retorted quickly, realizing this would never satisfy this baka usagi he decided give a hint to satisfy his curiosity "Besides. I already ha-aave someone." Putting emphasis on the word 'have' Allen realized his mistake too late.

This fuelled the red-hair into a flurry of questions about Allen's 'partner' to which he only responded with grunts and shrugs. Even giving no verbal answer to any of his questions, Lavi seemed to still pick up hints that weren't there making him giggle to himself every once in a while. Allen sighed heavily, this walk was about to get one hell of a lot longer.

The remainder of the walk was only about five or so minutes, but it felt like hours to Allen, who was trying his best not to give anything away and to shut the red-head up. Lavi kept his grin plastered in place for the whole time, while Allen's mask was beginning to wear off. He wasn't sure how much more of the questioning he would be able to take.

Thankfully, luck was on his side as they exited out of the last patch of forest, revealing a train station, along with a fairly pissed-off bookman. He glared at Lavi, soon followed by a boot to the face, sending his apprentice flying into a tree trunk.

Allen couldn't help but chuckle, but then bookman's glare was fixed squarely on Allen which made him freeze. Bookman turned around swiftly yelling "The train is about to leave, hurry up." He then began to mutter under his breath about idiot brats. Of course, no one would normally be able to hear this but Allen caught every word, making him chuckle to himself.

Once they boarded the train and were seated in their first class cabin, courtesy of the Order, Lavi tried to bring up conversations but kept of failing miserably. Allen only answered in one word responses, as Bookman didn't answer at all. Finally accepting that it was never going to work, he pressed his hands against the back of his head and lay back before falling into a peaceful sleep.

Allen however, was a different story. Ever since the train ride had started, he had a growing scene of dread that was grasping and consuming him. He tried to fidget with his hands, but to no avail. He had to ball his fists to stop himself from shaking, all because they were nearing Bukott Angyal, his birth town. He knew that his mission wouldn't take him into the town, but even merely passing it via train, he found it hard to control himself.

All the hatred came flowing back, making him flinch every few minutes. At one point, it was unbearable so he excused himself to take a bathroom break. Once finding the bathroom on the train (which took almost half an hour, considering Allen's legendary skill at getting lost), he locked the door and stared at himself in the mirror.

He had noticed earlier the gray skin beginning to spread once again, and he had fought hard to keep it in check. He just prayed that Bookman hadn't noticed anything, though it seemed like he was also in his own world. Allen stared in the mirror once more, allowing the ashen skin to consume his formerly pale frame. He watched in amusement as his eyes slowly melted from dull silver to a glimmering gold. His hair curled around its ends, as the crosses engraved themselves in his forehead once more.

Smirking, he watched both his left and right eye activate, revealing both his souls hovering ominously above his head. He sat there, just watching the two halves of himself hover in midair behind him before the train came to a screeching halt. He knew this was the stop of Bukkot Angyal, so he grasped the edges of the mirror in a fickle attempt to control the hatred that flowed within his body.

The sides of the mirror began to crack from the extreme pressure being place upon it. After a few seconds, it shattered sending the sharpened razor edges of glass flying across the small room. Many had splintered through Allen's right arm as he smiled sadistically at the crimson liquid that was now flowing from his hand. Using his left arm, he removed the impaled pieces of glass without the slightest care. Once they were all removed, he allowed his hand to heal back to the state it was in before his little 'accident'. He smirked to himself again, sighing as he knew it would be time to return to his 'comrades'.

He watched the hundreds of glass shards on the floor, all reflecting his ash skin retreating, as well as his stigmata and his hair reverting to straight spikes as it was previously. He emerged from the small room minutes after the train had begun moving again, not making any effort to clean the mess of blood and shattered glass he had left behind.

He reached his cabin shortly after, noticing that Lavi was still deeply asleep and Bookman had his head bowed, not noticing Allen's return. Allen sat back in his spot, feeling slightly refreshed, not only from him being able to release his captive Noah for a short time, but also because they were moving away from the town. Allen smiled to himself, as he also felt his consciousness beginning to waver as the need for sleep overtook his body.

"Allen!" he heard a familiar voice yell. Allen opened his eyes slowly to reveal an annoyed looking Lavi with yet another boot mark across his face.

"Had an accident I see?" Allen asked, well more of joked but Lavi's previously serious face turned back into a wide grin.

"Well I can give you the same 'cure' the panda gave me for oversleeping…" Allen quickly shot up, realizing the train had stopped.

"So we're there?" he asked while gathering his belongings, moving towards the exit with Lavi and Bookman nowhere in sight. Once they stepped off the train, they were met with a chorus of shouts and yells from a large crowd gathered holding stakes and torches up high. Allen tried to shake off the feeling of nostalgia, as who seemed like the ring leader approached Lavi and Allen, who were both eyeing each other curiously.

"You're going to help up exterminate the vampire!" the ring leader shouted, which was then backed up by a chorus of yells and cries in agreement from the crowd.

Allen and Lavi both stuttered back in unison .."V..Vampire?"

Page 3 of 3


	21. Chapter 21  'Vampire?

**Note- I've re read over this chapter many times now and I've realized Allen is coming off as slightly insane. That's not the point I'm trying to get across, he is struggling to suppress his Noah, as well as trying to cope with his past- both aren't working. I'm trying to figure out how much I should actually stay with the plot of the anime, please let me know in reviews ^^**

Chapter 21

"V..Vampire?"

The crowd surged forward, the front row revealing ropes and sinister expressions. Allen smiled placidly as the ropes bound his limbs and chest tightly, as he heard Lavi yelp when the same thing was happening.

Allen looked up to his captors, suddenly hit by a wave of memories and nostalgia… _These people are just as judgmental and superstitious as those from my birth town….I want to give these people a 'present' as well once I'm finished with my mission._

Allen chuckled darkly, officially creeping out Lavi, who was in the same position as the younger exorcist, but couldn't imagine what he was thinking about to make him actually laugh in the kind of situation.

The crowd reached what looked like the town hall before dragging the bound exorcists inside and propping them up on chairs, exposing them to the entire audience. To Lavi's surprise, the entire crowd bowed down, and seemed to be almost pleading for them to slay the 'vampire'. Being a bookman, Lavi couldn't help but doubt the existence of a real vampire, but the stories the towns folk told caught his attention.

"I am the chief of this village' Georg. The truth is.. Since a long time ago, there has been a vampire living in this village. His name is Baron Crowley. He never shows himself during the day, and sometimes at night you can hear terrible screams coming from his castle. It's said that those go enter never come out alive. "

After a long pause, Lavi decided to interrupt "No way, a vampire living in this day and age?"

The leader shot him a look, as if daring him to continue his statement. Lavi gulped then said "Sorry, please continue."

The leader shook his head slowly before continuing "But as long as we never got close to the castle, Crowley was never a danger to any of us. Crowley and ourselves quietly lived near each other, his castle and our village separated. Until that day, that is…. It was near to midnight, when the whole village was bathed in silence. It was interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream, which made the whole village awaken, and grab their torches to see what was going on. The group of us wandered out to the forest surrounding the Baron's mansion, where we found him sucking the life out of one of the villager's eldest women. He drained her body completely, before it turned to dust right before our eyes. Ever since then, Crowley has continued to assault our villagers, bringing the total victims to 9."

Allen tried to contain a dark chuckle, he knew he couldn't laugh out loud at their losses, but he found it hilarious when they looked so serious not to mention distraught when the commented that nine people had been killed. He found himself smiling sadistically as he tried to count how many people he'd killed over the last 3 years…. Too many he concluded with a sigh.

Allen's amusement did not go unnoticed by the crowd, nor by Lavi who was studying him carefully. Allen realized that all eyes on the room were upon him so he decided to make an announcement

"We will help you 'exterminate' this vampire, as we were planning on going to the castle anyway. I Suggest we get going, it would be helpful if we were untied."

He smiled innocently, as the crowd couldn't help gasp at his ambition in awe. Lavi didn't seem all that exited to be slaying a vampire in the dead of night, but it was better than that old panda tagging along he concluded. The villagers proceeded to accept Allen's demands, untying the exorcists immediately, before leading the way to Crowley's castle.

The journey was agonizingly slow for Lavi, the thought of a real life vampire gave him the creeps, as he couldn't help but notice Allen's excitement.

Truth be told Allen was ecstatic about fighting a vampire, not in a long time had he ever fought anyone with powers anywhere near his own. Yes some of the other Noah could hold a candle to him, but they never fought with each other seriously, and if Allen's suspicions were correct he may be able to use the full extent of his abilities in a proper fight with this 'vampire'. That thought by itself pleased Neah, as well as Allen which made him chuckle softly to himself.

Realizing Lavi was looking at him suspiciously Allen broke the silence and commented "I was just thinking that there's no way a vampire really exists right?" As he lied through his teeth and he added as much innocence and worry in the sentence as possible. That performance shouldn't have fooled the ears of a bookman, but if Lavi wasn't fooled he clearly didn't show it.

Lavi instinctively placed his right hand, twitching only inches away from his hammer, indicated he was prepared for a fight. Allen couldn't help but laugh to himself again, but then stopped abruptly thinking he might come off as insane.

Lavi couldn't help but he curious about Allen's eye and scar, not once had he mentioned any cause for either to either the Order or himself, and of course this only aggravated his already obsessive curiosity about the young exorcist. Those words that Allen had said, for some reason they haunted him, not only when he saw him, but in his dreams. '_if a bookman who was currently 'acting' as an exorcist, knew something vital that could help the order, or had suspicions of something that could destroy it, would they tell anyone_' something about those words, but Lavi knew they had a deeper meaning. At first he shrugged them off lightly, but now….there is just something about Allen, he didn't know what but as a bookman, he could tell that those words would change the course of history in one way for another, for the better or for the worse he couldn't tell.

The villagers trotting in front of the exorcists stopped suddenly, causing both teens to stumble into their backs earning many displeased grunts. Georg raised his hand, pointing at the large gate that stood before them. It was almost 20 feet high, made of what looked like iron. It had eerie sculptures carved into the front, the first and foremost was of a face that resembled that of a level 1 Akuma. There was a slight rustle on the right hand side of the gate. So slight no regular creature should have been able to hear it, but Allen was no regular creature, in an instant, he stood facing exactly where Crowley lay hidden, deciding what to do with the 'vampire'.

Allen sighed heavily, because of his inhuman hearing, he knew that Crowley was no vampire, he just possessed an innocence fragment. It seemed to be a parasitic type, judging by its hum, it was not very developed.

Allen grinned maliciously, separating the only Akuma in the crowd from the rest to see how the 'vampire' would react. The Akuma was only a level 1 and was still in its human skin so the crowd wasn't that curious as to why one of the teenagers was having a private conversation with her. Once separated from the crowd, the Akuma looked around in fear.

It was built to detect when a Noah was present and to always follow their orders, and this level one's programming was screaming that there was a Noah right there and to listen. The poor level 1 not having a consciousness of its own, just blatantly followed the townspeople here, unable to pull itself away from its hidden master. It was because of this, that it followed the orders that the exorcist was giving it, as it could not tell who was the Noah in the crowd and would rather die here than face the wrath of an angry Noah if it attacked the wrong person.

Allen walked back to the front of the crowd, telling the Akuma very distinctly not to move from its current position. It shifted uncomfortably in its human skin, fear evident on its human face. Allen chuckled darkly, any minute now…. And just like he predicted, he heard the sounds of the vampire approaching.

Allen admitted that he was fast, well compared to any other exorcist he'd seen, but not nearly fast enough to match his own speed. Lavi looked around with wide eyes, he was sure he'd heard something rustle in the bushes…but that could just be his own paranoia playing tricks on him.

Instead, he lined himself up with Allen as the exorcist seemed to know where the noises were coming from. There was a flash of darkness, and in less than an instant, the Akuma Allen had singled out had been taken by Crowley, and was now being drained of her life. Lavi swore that in an instant before Crowley had ambushed them, he saw Allen's kind smile turn into a sadistic grin and his eyes flash a brilliant gold….

_No that can't be right_.

Lavi thought to himself, pushing that thought to the back of his mind then turned to face the vampire. The villagers shrieked in terror, as they all sprinted back to town as fast as they could, leaving Lavi and Allen to deal with the baron.

Lavi prepared for the offence, instantly grabbing his hammer as it tripled in size. Allen chuckled darkly before asking "Damn I was looking forward to a good fight, you're gonna have to be faster than that…"

He seemed sincerely disappointed, as Lavi's jaw dropped in exasperation… Allen was not only TAUNTING said vampire but insulting him too?

Crowley released his jaw from the Akuma, who collapsed to the ground. He turned slowly to face his unwanted guests, seeing the Red-haired one's position; he was the one that would be aggressive. It was strange, the white-haired kid seemed to be mocking him, but not making the slightest move on offence that was actually scaring him.

He shrugged it off, turning to face the Red-head as his hammer was now almost the size of a building. He lunged, slightly off balance, attempting to squash Crowley like it was a simple game of 'whack-a-mole'. Crowley smiled, seeing the hammer come within inches of his face, and then biting down on its pointed end.

It was simple really, the red head was off balance enough as it was and as Crowley shifted the weight of the enormous hammer, he was thrown into the air, smashing into a nearby tree with a sickening 'crunch'. Crowley smiled, he could tell just by that sound that at least 2 ribs were now broken. He turned his gaze to the white haired boy who was…..was sitting down? He wore a bored expression, drawing figures in the dirt.

This enraged Crowley even further, deciding to take the kid by surprise, he moved with incredible speed, and was at the boys side within a second. To Crowley's horror, everything seemed to slow down when he reached the kid, as he noticed he was softly humming to himself. The boy looked up thoughtfully at Crowley, giving his an innocent smile, which soon turned into a sadistic smirk. It was then Crowley saw it, his eyes which were previously shimmering silver, flashed a brilliant gold, making Crowley unable to shift his gaze away from the glinting orbs. Crowley still felt like he was moving in slow motion, he was now within inches of the boy who seemed un phased. What worried Crowley the most is that he seemed completely unaffected by the slow motion.

He stood up at a normal speed with a mocking grin plastered on his face before whispering into the 'vampire's' ear "Filthy exorcist, run."

Crowley was left with his mouth left wide open as he felt regular time returning. He crashed to the ground, only to feel himself being pinned face down by the boy who was now on top of him.

"I'll count to 5. It's no fun catching pray who aren't running for their lives…" He whispered, Crowley wasn't sure what it was about this child, but his instincts were screaming at him to escape while he still could.

"4.." the numbers were coming in an almost soothing tone, as the child seemed to hum each one with enthusiasm.

"3…" Crowley felt himself running out of time, using the last of his strength, he managed to escape the boys hold hearing faintly

"2.." he grabbed the woman he had attacked earlier, dragging her with him as he ran off into the night.

"1…" Allen looked disappointed that the 'vampire' had gotten away. It was a shame really; this guy wasn't nearly a match for Allen. Sighing, he plodded over to where Lavi had hit the tree.

Lavi had watched the previous encounter stunned, he wasn't sure what had happened, but it had to be recorded. Once he regained consciousness, he saw Allen sitting in the dirt, drawing figures.

In the next instant, Crowley was by his side, about to bite him, but Lavi swore he saw it again, Crowley's face twisted with horror as Allen's eyes flashed golden again. Another flash of white light, and it was revealed that Allen had Crowley pinned to the ground. From this distance, he couldn't hear what Allen was saying, but Crowley ran off with the villager towards the castle. Allen walked over slowly, helping Lavi up off the tree and making sure he was fine before continuing into what looked like a courtyard.

It was filled with hordes of demon statues, all facing in dangerous positions towards the main walk way. Lavi shuddered, as Allen shrugged at this 'vampire's' weird taste. Once they reached the front door of the castle, it swung open with the slightest touch, creaking loudly it only added to the eerie atmosphere.

Allen was the first to stride in; making sure Lavi was alright to follow. They had been walking for a little over a minute, before Allen decided to 'explore' leading them to a long hallway which felt somewhat nostalgic. Allen could feel it, Neah pushing and tugging at the consciousness of his mind, fighting for control. Allen grabbed a nearby ornament for support, leaning on it ever so slightly.

To Allen's surprise, the ornament slid down opening a large section of wall that looked like the entry to a dungeon. Allen cautiously approached, hearing Lavi's equally intrigued whispers behind him.

Allen turned around instinctively; he could sense an Akuma drawing closer. Out of the corner of the hall, a tall blonde woman appeared, dragging a coffin behind her before spotting the two uninvited guests. Allen couldn't help but smirk as he saw the level 2 Akuma approach.

_**Good..Mor..ning.**_

She looked down at the two exorcists in horror, unable to believe what she had just heard. Her jaw dropped as she muttered breathlessly "….Noah…"

Page 2 of 2


	22. Chapter 22  The Exorcist and the Akuma

Chapter 22

The blonde woman fell to her knees, dropping the coffin and letting it slide down into the darkness. Allen heard a slight rumble from behind him, not loud enough to be considered a threat, but Allen knew wiser. On instinct he dived at Lavi, succeeding in knocking him out of the way just in time of a nasty looking maw. Allen wasn't sure what the creature was, but it had gnarly teeth that were larger than his anti-Akuma weapon which made him gulp. The coffin smashed the floor with a resounding 'crash', letting the body tumble out onto the floor. Lavi watched in horror as the creature feasted ravenously on the corpse, while Allen simply stared. Realizing they were distracted, Eliade shot of out their sight, desperate to escape the exorcists / Noah.

Pentacles started to appear one the first creature visible, slowly spreading over its whole body.

"Akuma blood virus…" Allen muttered, as Lavi realized what had happened….That woman was an Akuma? Allen watched in fascination as the pentacles spread, making the plant-looking monster writhe in agony. One of the plant's vines- closest to the wall, smashed into it, exposing an eerie graveyard.

Allen and Lavi approached with caution, fearing that there was another hideous creature like that waiting for them.

Allen was the first to speak up "Look…there are eight graves all in a circle…" he remarked, while pointing at each of the graves separately.

"Hey Lavi, doesn't that match up to the amount of people taken from the village?" he questioned, truly curious as to why the exorcist buried the Akuma.

"Didn't the villagers say there were 9 villagers taken by Crowley?" he replied, trying to decipher the situation.

"Right, but they also said the first evaporated into dust before their eyes." Allen retorted, nodding silently to himself. Lavi walked silently to the first grave, before propping the coffin open. There was just a cloud of smoke, and no body. Lavi was about to look at the next grave, when he noticed a black marking on the edge of the coffin.

He then rotated his view slightly to observe it in a better light. Once he could see, he gaped and muttered "Pentacles…Akuma blood?" Allen chuckled, realizing Lavi had no clue what was going on, he decided to help the poor bookman out.

"The plant also seemed to be affected by this virus when it ate the corpse of that woman… Lavi, check the other graves and see if they have the same markings." Lavi nodded, he thought Allen's idea was reasonable, so he began to prop open each of the graves. Each had the exact same pentacles that laced the edges of the coffin, as well as the soil around the graves.

"Every single one has it…" Lavi remarked, suddenly very curious to what was going on.

Allen smiled softly then replied "I'd assume this 'vampire' is just an accommodator. All the 'people' he has killed appear to be Akumas." Lavi nodded thoughtfully, astounded at how a boy so young came up with that conclusion so quickly.

Allen's and Lavi's attention was drawn when they heard footsteps approaching. A black cloak, billowing in the wind and his white stripe of hair, shifted in the moonlight to reveal a very pissed-off Crowley. He bore his fangs, as his pupils retracted to small slits.

"I'll try talking some sense into him, you go search the castle Allen!" Lavi yelled, Allen nodded trotting off in the opposite direction, towards the castle.

He nodded briefly, as he watched Crowley and Lavi both charge at each other on the offence…. 'talk some sense into him' yeah right…. Allen snorted to himself.

Allen found himself in a familiar corridor 10 minutes later; before realizing his amazing skills had worked their charm once again…he was hopelessly lost. In truth Allen was only half paying attention, and he was using the other half to call off that Akuma. He could tell it was in this damn castle, and Allen wanted answers. He decided that getting frustrated over an Akuma was not worth his time, se he just used his Noah instead.

_Come here. Now._

There was a crash from a room 3 corridors down, then the same blonde woman stepped out. She approached the white-haired exorcist slowly, afraid that one wrong move would cost her, her life. Allen scoffed at her caution before beckoning her over to where he was standing, wanting to have a conversation with the Akuma.

She reached where he was standing 10 seconds later, and was being pierced by his fierce golden eyes.

Breaking the silence Allen asked "Why are you here?"

Eliade bowed her head before replying "I was sent here on a mission from Master Earl. There were strange developments indicating innocence and I was sent to check it out."

Allen ran that answer through his head momentarily, before turning back to her and questioning "Why don't you kill the exorcist?" She gulped, she knew this was coming but didn't want to have to answer. "Answer me truthfully, Akuma." He scowled, his previously warm and kind features turning into a cold-hearted stare.

"At first it was because he was useful to me. Then I…fell in love with him." She replied, looking at the ground the entire time. Allen nodded thoughtfully, he could tell this was the truth and he doubted an Akuma would even be capable to lie to a Noah.

Allen smiled warmly back at the Akuma before responding "Ah, Love huh? What a useless emotion…" Eliade looked at the young Noah thoughtfully, trying to decipher what he meant. Allen noticed her curious gaze before continuing "I hate the emotion 'love' because it brings out the human in me…." He trailed off for a second, bowing his head and looking as if thousands of memories were flashing before his eyes. He turned back to Eliade "No matter how much I deny it, love brings out the human in us all…" he trailed off again, tracing circles on the ground with his fingers as the Akuma watched.

She decided to probe further, still not understanding what he was getting at. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Allen jumped slightly when she spoke up, as if he had completely forgotten her existence; then he smiled back up at her and explained "Love….Love for your family, love for your friends. Hell, love for those pathetic humans, I hate it- but it is that feeling that makes us all un-deniably human."

Eliade could only stare at the boy, what he had just said- coming from a Noah, was so true. Even as an Akuma, she didn't know she could feel any emotion until she met Arystar."113…" Allen said quietly. Eliade froze, she knew exactly what this number meant to her and she looked warily at the Noah.

"113…" he said to himself again, then turned to her again "Why stop at 113?"

Eliade looked down at the ground in shame before replying "I've stopped at one hundred and thirteen because I met Crowley. He would have been the 114th…. But I haven't killed since I met him."

Allen sighed heavily, before looking her straight in the eyes and repeating a childhood rhyme the Earl had taught him. "Level two you say? Kill 100 today- want to be 3? Kill 1000 you're free- still wanting more? Kill 10,000 for four, No level 5s chime, so here stops the rhyme…" The sing-along melody ended on a high note, leaving room for more to be added.

Allen continued "Tonight, I'm truly sorry to have to do this to you….you're going to have to make the decision you knew you'd have to make from the start. Either tonight you'll reach 114, or this will be your last night."

Eliade gulped, she knew this was coming, she had been fearing it from the very start- still she couldn't bring herself to choose between living, or letting Crowley live. Allen patted her on the shoulder affectionately, smiling with as much remorse as he could muster.

CRASH, the wall to their right collapsed, revealing a beaten and tiered Lavi as well as Crowley.

As soon as Allen had left the sight of Lavi, he turned all his attention back to the 'vampire'. He called out, trying to tell him about exorcists and innocence, but to no avail. Crowley seemed to be getting more frustrated every second, and without warning he charged- attempting to catch Lavi off guard.

Lavi barked "shin!" just in time, narrowly avoiding the hasty strike. Crowley charged again, but this time Lavi wasn't quick enough and was throw off his hammer, crashing into the castle with a thud.

He managed to smile back at Crowley, before raising his hammer and yelling "Hi-Bang!"From where the hammer crashed to the ground, a fire-snake rose from the ground, hissing before heading for Crowley. He instantly dodged, and was behind Lavi in an instant. His fangs extruded from his mouth as he prepared to bite, but Lavi had planned for this, extending his hammer backwards, knocking Crowley off-balance, as Lavi swung the extended hammer around in an attempt to catch him off guard. Crowley recovered in time to dodge the large hammer that missed him by only inches. He felt the wind rush past his face as it narrowly missed its target.

"I thought we were going to talk?" muttered Crowley, mocking the red-haired teen. Lavi charged again, frustrated evident, he swung the hammer, as Crowley dodged it just as easily.

"This is like playing 'Whack-a-mole" complained Lavi, swinging the hammer once more. Being distracted by the red-head's words, Crowley wasn't fast enough to dodge to oncoming attack, and was smashed into a tree.

Wiping the blood from his face, he turned to face Lavi, once more. Both of them released their full capabilities at the same time, Lavi summoning lightning from the sky, and Crowley charging so fast he was only a blur. Crowley's speed was too fast for Lavi to counter, as he was at the exorcist's side in seconds, punching him in the stomach with enough force to knock him through a wall. Just as Crowley struck, Lavi's previous seal thundered down, catching both exorcist and vampire alike, sending them flying into the castle wall. Both broke through the cement wall as if it was made of paper, and were sent sprawling on the ground. Lavi noticed Allen moving towards him with a concerned look on his face, as Eliade did the same to Crowley.

_Choose…_ Allen commanded Eliade using his Noah, but she still seemed reluctant to make a decision.

Allen sighed, after helping Lavi to his feet; he decided to 'help' her reach a decision. He activated his cursed left eye, to an extent where both Lavi and Crowley could both see her soul. Crowley stared with a mix of disbelief and horror as Lavi struggled to keep his lunch down…

"She's an Akuma, Crowley." Lavi stated as confidently as he was able, still struggling as his stomach turned over.

Eliade stepped away from Crowley, reaching her decision; she shed her human skin and prepared for a fight. Crowley stood in horror, watching his one and only love- now poised to attack and even kill him.

Without warning, the Akuma sent hundreds of silvery orbs that appeared to be filled with liquid towards the exorcists as well as Crowley. He dodged nimbly, weakened from his battle with the red-head, afraid of the consequences if any of the bubbles hit him.

There was a rumble from the back of the room, as the plant from earlier sprung back to life, attempting to entangle the exorcists. The exorcists was well as Crowley watched in horror as where the bubbles hit the plant, all the moisture from that area disappeared, leaving a shriveled lump in his place.

Crowley shot up, attempting to get close to her to ask his beloved what was going on.

Once he was close enough, he shouted "what are you doing?"

She turned to face him before replying "I was only using you from the start.." They charged at each other once more, she shot more bubbles at them and one caught his left arm. It shriveled horribly, before multitudes of other bubbles came into contact with his skin. None hit his face however, as he landed with a sickening 'thud' on the marble tiled room. The Akuma instantly changed back to its human form, and walked over to where Crowley lay.

His instincts took over, seeing her open neck and when she bent over him, he sunk his fangs deep into her soft, skin draining her of life. He couldn't believe his ears when he heard a faint whisper "I'm sorry…Arystar."

Before she turned to dust and it blew away in the wind. Allen too, heard her faint whisper even from the distance he was away.

A sad smile crossed Allen's face as he realized what Eliade had chosen to do…sacrifice her life for the one she loved. She had planned the whole fight out, enraging him, purposely not hitting his head so he could kill her with his innocence…even the end…she planned it all.

_The story of love between an Akuma and an Exorcist…_ Allen thought to himself.

_**Tragic**_. Neah added.

Page 3 of 3


	23. Chapter 23  A Cruel Fate

Chapter 23

Crowley collapsed to the floor, desperately clutching the remnants of her clothing. His white-stripe of hair flopped back over his face, as he started crying Lavi and Allen could only stare at him with sympathetic eyes. He bent over, whimpering softly for the next few minutes before he spoke up.

His voice was despairing, having lost his only reason for living, he said "I…Killed the person that I love. The person I love…with my own hands.."

Lavi stood there in shocked silence and Allen was the first to react "With your…own hands?"

Crowley couldn't contain himself any longer, instead of sobbing quietly- he cried in agony, almost yelling out. "What kind of monster have I become?" He muttered to himself, gazing at his trembling hands. "I sucked the blood of the person I loved to restore my injured body….Even a body like this, at the cost of killing Eliade!...A monster like me.. Has no right…to live." He fell to the ground once more, shaking terribly while Allen and Lavi just watched. Allen couldn't handle it any longer, taking pity on one's self was infuriated him.

He muttered "If it's that painful…" He walked over to Crowley slowly with a determined glint in his eyes. Grabbing Crowley from the ground by his collar, he hauled him up to meet his gaze. Crowley still sobbed as Allen's gaze hardened "Become an Exorcist! Destroying Akuma is an exorcist's job. Today, you destroyed an Akuma called Eliade! And…from now on you will continue to destroy Akuma. That will be your reason for destroying Eliade today!" Allen felt pity for this poor exorcist, he didn't know why, maybe it was the way the Akuma acted, even as a machine…to sacrifice one's self for the one they love… He coulnt let it all be in vain. This poor accommodator needed a reason to live…so this would become his reason. "If there's a reason to live, shouldn't you continue living for that reason?" he half shouted at the whimpering mess on the floor. Allen clenched his fists, and began to grind his teeth together, this was all getting on his nerves…and someone would take advantage of the slightest mental lapse. He normally wouldn't have cared, but that would expose him as a Noah to the young bookman, ruining his mission.

Crowley turned away, still cowering in unable to accept he had just lost his one love, and was now being yelled at for not having a reason to live.

"You're also a person with innocence…" Allen continued, his previous harsh tone gone completely, replaced with a soft, yet harsh whisper "Just like us."

Lavi, who had previously been watching the scene huffed and nodded in agreement.

After hours of explaining, arguing and making small talk, the trio made their way to a basement where Crowley began to collect his belongings. He turned his head and smiled with sorrow before asking quietly "Do you two mind if you go and wait outside the castle?" Allen and Lavi nodded, heading off in the opposite direction.

Crowley, after making sure they were out of range of hearing him, he asked quietly to the items in the room "All of this…it's all my grandfather's. It all belongs to him; I have nothing to call my own… In the end I was just another belonging to him… Not anymore! I will create my own path, and I will become an exorcist, destroy Akuma wherever I am, and to one day atone for what I did to you…..Elide."

With that, he picked up a single rose, from one of the compartments in a desk. He smelt it once, before turning away from the room, never to see it again.

"Dawn will be coming soon!" remarked Lavi, who was stretching once he and Allen were now at the border of the forest. "Man that was a hell of a night!" He said while placing his arms around the back of his head in an almost cocky manner.

Allen turned and looked at him curiously, before replying "In the end, we didn't mind any trace of Cross. I'm not even sure why we came."

Lavi took this in, pondering over it for a few brief moments before saying "Well..Kuro-chan has become our friend now."

Allen glanced back at Lavi looking completely dumbfounded and muttered "Kuro-chan….Kuro-chan….Kuro-chan?" Lavi chuckled heartily at his confusion then retorted "Crowley. He's with us now so it wasn't for nothing."

Allen nodded, and stared straight ahead, allowing his cheerful façade to slip slightly. "Don't make a face as if you've done something wrong." Lavi remarked, noticing his expression. "The outlook may not be very promising, but…For now, Kuro-chan's got the reason he needs! One day it'll be useful."

"You seem quite full of yourself." Barked bookman, as emerged from the shadows.

"Bookman?" yelped Allen who jumped back in surprise, as Lavi did the same.

"O-Old man! When did you get here?" Lavi demanded, poking a finger pointing at him.

Bookman turned slightly before replying casually "Just now."

Lavi leaned forward, raising his hands to his face as he wore a mischievous smirk "You're such a worrier!" He stood up straight, closing his eyes before continuing "Even if you haven't shown up right at his moment, we had it all taken care of perfectly.

"Uagh!" was the only sound that could be heard, as boot made contact to face, sending Lavi flying once again. He smashed against a nearby tree with a loud thud as Allen couldn't help but chuckle.

Lavi stood straight up, balling his fists and shouting "That didn't hurt one bit!"

Bookman jumped in front of his apprentice, arms waving in the air franticly before retorting "What's 'perfectly'? You were too reckless! Where was the need to make a big hole in the castle?" craning his neck so his head was directly opposed to Lavi's.

He didn't miss a beat and shouted back "We were dying over here! Don't hit me until you've heard the whole story! You Panda!"

"I didn't hit you, I kicked you! You inexperienced greenhorn!" bookman shouted back.

"That's the same thing!" Lavi whined, trying to form an argument but knowing it was useless.

"It's not the same thing!" bookman yelled back. Allen couldn't help but chuckle at this, here were two of the people who knew the most hidden history in the world, and yet their bickering like school-children.

"What have you been doing the whole time anyway?" Lavi asked out of curiosity, but before bookman could reply, the ground started shaking violently. Allen gasped, realizing the tremor was originating from the castle, he turned around just in time to see it explode into flames.

Allen screamed in agony, he couldn't contain it; his ears were so precise that the loud explosion destroyed his ultra-sensitive hearing. He grabbed his ears, trying to rid himself of the continuous ringing noise that rung in his head. Shaking it slowly, he looked back up to see Crowley, striding from the mansion carrying a single rose.

_So he didn't commit suicide.._ Allen thought to himself bitterly.

After spending a good portion of their morning, convincing Crowley to ride a horse-drawn carriage, they were now on their way to a train station. Crowley sat firmly, still whimpering about their earlier encounter with the villagers. "Don't be so down Kuro-chan!" Lavi tried to comfort him "It couldn't be helped, could it? No matter how much we explained, the villagers wouldn't believe us."

"But…" Crowley whimpered.

{Flashback}

The whole village was assembled; they were shocked and horrified that the exorcists actually brought the vampire to town! And here they were, protecting the monster! The villagers brought their weapons, such as axes spears, pole arms; even one woman was carrying a trident.

"You're saying that Crowley was sucking the blood of Akuma and killing them off? As if we'd believe something as ridiculous as that!" George spat, looking with disgust at the exorcists as well as the vampire.

Allen had his jaw clenched shut, no matter how much he denied it; these people were just as superstitious and judgmental as those from his home town. It made him go blind with rage, and Neah was already advancing on his consciousness.

_**Allen…**_ he remarked playfully, while Allen was trying his hardest to ignore him.

_**That's not nice, Allen. Just let me have a little fun, it'll be over before you wake up…**_

_No! Stop, I can't, not yet._

_**Fine…but I'm growing impatient…Next time, I'm not going to subside…**_ his voice drifted back into the corners and crevices of Allen's mind, which he was glad of.

Yet this still did nothing to relieve his anger, frustration; his pure hatred for the human race- which he found only harder to ignore when he was faced with exactly the kind of people who had destroyed his childhood.

_Relax, soon you can have revenge._ Allen told himself, allowing his fists to relax and to smile innocently at the townsfolk who were now throwing stones and garbage.

"It doesn't matter, he is still a monster!" he heard one of the villagers spit. Crowley's eyes widened in shock, as tears spilt from his eyes which cascaded down his face as waterfalls. Allen shook his head slowly, clenching his fists so tightly that blood was drawn on the wrist of his right arm.

"Get out of here!" yelled another. "

Don't ever come back!" spat the leader.

"Monster!" the yelled in unison, raising their weapons.

"Get out, get out, get out!" they began to chant as Crowley shuffled back nervously.

"Damn monster!" they yelled together in chorus.

"GET OUT MONSTER!" The last yell was almost too much for even Allen to take. Even after years living with the Earl, and committing acts which would truly deem him as a monster, it still hurt when people who you saved insulted you. He grabbed Crowley with his right arm, as Lavi grabbed Crowley's left and they dragged the 'vampire' away from the murderous mob.

{Flashback}

"Naturally, I was irritated by it too." Commented Allen, who had until recently been keeping silent the whole journey.

Lavi sat up straight and replied "It doesn't matter if you can't go home. A man only needs a home town here!" he remarked pride fully, gesturing to his heart.

"Lavi!" Crowley cried, leaping at him.

"Knock it off, let go!" Lavi cried in dismay as Allen began to laugh at the scene unfolding before him.

They reached the outskirts of a small town only minutes later. Allen could only stare in horror at where they were headed, as he recognized the all-too familiar forest which surrounded the carriage. Allen clenched his fists, this had to be the worst possible scenario!

"Lavi, why are we were?" Allen asked cautiously, his voice faltering slightly as he questioned the apprentice bookman.

"Well there is a train station here, so I thought we'd go through this town, apparently it's a small, nice town called um… Bukott Angyal?" Allen instinctively shuddered at hearing its name. He couldn't believe that he had to actually travel directly through the town that even with its mention, made his 'black' side go crazy with anger, and his 'white' side even more so.

He knew Neah would be back, hounding on the edge of his mind, and he could already feel the constant prodding as they drew nearer to the place. This would be a challenge to make it through, with everyone in the town still…alive. Each second seemed to linger on longer than necessary, as Allen began to sweat drop. Lavi didn't seem to notice, as he was busy fighting with Crowley, but Allen's skin had gone sickly pale.

The carriage stopped abruptly, as they were force to leave and walk the rest of the way. Crowley and Lavi seemed to enjoy the idea, while Allen hung at the back of the small group. Allen instinctively pulled his glove further onto his hand, making sure there was no way anyone could see it.

Crowley and Lavi agreed to meet Allen at the train station, as Allen was anxious to get away. Once they were no longer in sight, he broke into a run, hoping desperately that fate felt like being kind to him on this occasion.

This was not to be the case, as in the midst's of his running he had found his way into a large crowd. Not paying attention to his surroundings, and only desperately searching for the train station, he failed to realize he was on a collision course with a man who looked is his mid forties. Allen was stumbled blindly into the man, who turned around with a scowl on his face, and a raised arm.

Allen was snapped back into reality when he bumped into someone, not that he really cared, but whomever he had run into, turned around slowly, raising a fist threateningly. The man was significantly taller than Allen, he had mahogany shoulder length hair, as well as dark, midnight eyes which swelled and hid a darkness- that no stranger could even comprehend.

Allen's expression turned into one of pure horror, and he began to tremble as he realized who he had crossed paths with.

"…F-Father..."

Page 3 of 3


	24. Chapter 24  Nightmares

**Author's note: I am deciding when to end this story, please review and tell me what you think. At the moment, I think that this could go on for a fair bit longer, but it is up to you- the viewer, so please review and tell me what you think. **

Chapter 24

Animosity, fury, enmity, resentment, sorrow, anguish, agony, all these emotions rushed to Allen, overtaking his consciousness, as all the feelings slowly melded together to form pure hatred. The atmosphere around Allen froze up, slightly suffocating and chilling the blood of anyone close.

"What do you think you're doing, Brat?" He snarled back, raising his fist preparing to strike. Allen couldn't stop the sadistic grin from adorning his lips – here was the person who had condemned him from birth, never even giving him a chance, and even now, he had the same reaction- to solve all his problems by taking it out on Allen. He couldn't help but laugh, it wasn't his usually care-free, one, it was cold and callous, he wanted to kill this man so badly and in fact every single human in this god-forsaken town, but he knew he couldn't, as it would endanger his mission.

_**Allen, I warned you last time, I'm not going to just disappear this time….your consciousness is already slipping out of your grasp…**_

_No…Don't. Not…yet._

Allen was left with no other option; he bolted for the nearest exit, ignoring the angry cries of both his father, and the crowd. He ran as fast as his feet could take him, already seeing gray skin creeping up his hands and arms. Still, he only sought to run faster, to escape. He found himself in a similar situation to almost 11 years ago….trying to escape this horrid town, even though so much had changed in those 11 years. No longer was Allen a weakling, willing to be outcast from society, and ridiculed for being different, no he was above them.

He saw to his left, the old church he remembered all too well from his time there as a child.

{Flashback}

It was Christmas Eve, as the town fell into a hushed sleep. The church was offering clothes, as well as a warm dinner for the homeless inside the church.

Tomorrow was Christmas and Allen would be turning 6 or 7...not that it mattered, he could hardly remember anyway.

The week had been rough for him, every day the memory of his mother would come back to haunt his father as it was nearing the anniversary of her death- otherwise known as Allen's birthday. This year was different; Allen was much more wounded than previous years, fearing he had a broken wrist. It hurt terribly for him to try scavenging food from the forest, and sifting through large dumpsters was not possible with only one hand.

Allen saw that the church was taking the homeless in for Christmas Eve, bandaging their wounds and also feeding them! Not that the church had even paid any heed to him, in all honesty, they were as bad if not worse to him, constantly ridiculing him, rejecting him from society. If Allen was in his right mind, he would have never gone anywhere near the church willingly, but this occasion was different. He was starving – literally, and was almost so weak he hadn't the strength to stand, let alone catch a dinner. Along with his wrist, it made each day pass slower, and slower as consciousness slipped in and out.

It was because of this that he decided to make one last journey to the church, where he desperately hoped for some help.

He had been outside the 'holy' building for hours, waiting for a good chance to enter without anyone noticing. He had bandaged his left arm up, using his only sweater. True, this meant that he was practically freezing to death, but if it helped get him a meal, it would be worth it. After the sun had set, the temperature dropped, and Allen found it difficult to move his limbs anymore. He couldn't feel them, and now moving was becoming extremely difficult, not just because of starvation, but because of what appeared to be frost-bite.

In Allen's mind, there were only two choices; either go into the church and do whatever for food and maybe some warmth, or stay out here like a coward, then die. Allen chose the former, even though he wanted to end this miserable existence he called a 'life', something deep inside him told him to keep walking, every time he felt like giving up.

Allen stumbled slowly to the entrance, hiding behind two homeless. He had seen them around the streets from time to time, they had not spoken, but they seemed not to care about his arm. Allen didn't know why, but it was because they didn't care, that he gained comfort when he was around them. Staying as close to them as he could, he walked slowly through the doors.

The room was overcrowded with homeless to say the least, they occupied almost any space that could be seen, some were even sitting atop each other to leave room for others. The only object visible in the room was, a large pot containing soup that stood symbolically in the front of the room.

Allen took one step to move inside, when he was forced to face an internal conflict. It was as if some part of him, was begging him to go inside, as if the church was somehow a good, sacred place, but another voice was screaming at him to run away. Allen couldn't decide what to do, as the voices in his head grew louder and louder, eventually he could no longer hear the gasps and sniggers as people saw him enter.

He couldn't see, or feel himself fall to his knees, and then the ground, nor could he feel people dragging him by a rope out of the church. All he knew was that he woke up the next day, covered in scratches, with a rope hung loosely around his neck, as well as smothered in his own blood, and that today…was his birthday.

As this thought crossed his mind, a single tear rolled down his numb cheek.

{End Flashback}

Allen couldn't help but scream when the horrifying memories came flooding back. He kept running, as he could see the edge of the forest. His sight began to blur out, everything was fuzzy, as he could no longer make out the shapes of the village, the trees, the sky, not even the ground as it rushed to meet him.

Road heard it, one blood-curdling scream that sounded like Allen. She had been in her room, for hours just playing with her dolls in boredom, not even bothering to dress and still wearing her PJs- when a cry pierced her mind. Making a quick decision, she summoned one of her doors, in an attempt to find Allen.

She emerged in a forest area, as terror grew in the pit of her stomach….Why was she here? Why in this town….why…did this mean Allen is here? The knot in her stomach grew, as the last thought crossed her mind. It didn't make any sense…why would he return here?

After spying her surroundings, she heard another scream. This time, she defiantly heard it in real life, and she could tell it was Allen.

Running around franticly, trying to spot the white-haired boy wouldn't be something she ever pictured herself doing, but here she was, still in her PJs desperately searching for him.

It was minutes before she heard whimpering coming from behind a nearby tree. It was on the outer edge of the forest, and this worried her even more. Increasing her pace, she soon spotted him.

He was curled up into a ball, letting his head fall limply between his knees, with his arms grasped tightly around his knees pulling himself into a ball.

"Allen…" she muttered, she didn't know what had happened but something terrible…to make ALLEN into a state like this… It sickened her..it was those damn humans again. She felt disgusted even thinking about them.

Hearing Allen whimper again, she approached cautiously, placing her hand on his head slowly. He did not react in the slightest, as she heard his breathing, she could tell he was unconscious, or asleep…either way he seemed to be in the deep throes of a nightmare.

Using her ability, she once again left the realms of the living, transporting herself into deep within Allen's mind. She saw the familiar gleaming white walls that she saw last time, moving slowly towards the room she had met Dream Allen along with Neah in. It took longer this time, but she eventually reached the small room. Allen's dream self was sitting in the exact same position as before, but this time Neah was no longer present.

"Allen?" Road asked cautiously, stepping forward slowly.

Dream Allen turned around slowly, erupting into a wide grin and replying "Road. I'm glad you're here, he is currently having a nightmare and it is useless to try and wake him from the outside." Road nodded, she had figured this much. Since his scream had reached her through her mind, she assumed that she'd come here if she was to help him.

"If you want to help him, you can turn off his thought receptors for awhile. He'll be completely out of it for awhile, but he won't have to experience any more nightmares." Dream Allen explained slowly.

"That is why you came, correct?" he asked thoughtfully.

Road was about to nod when a thought struck her, and she questioned "Well, I'll answer your question if you can answer one of mine, by the way, where is Neah?"

Dream Allen laughed before nodding vigorously and replying "He was fighting with Allen, they're both experiencing the nightmare right now. Neah was telling me he had enough of Allen being treated like dirt, and set off to make things right." Road couldn't help but chuckle, that was exactly like her brother. Road smiled innocently placing a finger to her lips, then nodded slowly, answering Dream Allen's question.

"Now…for my question." She announced, tilting her head to the side slightly as if thinking deeply.

Dream Allen only laughed and replied "You've already had yours."

Road gaped at him, before retorting "No way! That thing about Neah wasn't my question!"

Dream Allen laughed again before nodding slowly, and smiling smugly.

"no fair!" Road yelped as she felt the familiar sensation of leaving Allen's mind.

"Wait! I want to know! Why doesn't Allen turn into a fallen one?" she yelled out of desperation, this question had been nagging her and it never made any sense.

After a long pause, Dream Allen decided to answer, he called back softly after her "As I have said before, Allen is special….He is favored by both god and the Devil...And back to your question…Why? It is simple…**you can't fall twice**."

Page 2 of 2


	25. Chapter 25  A Ribbon

**Authors Note: Yay, 100 Word A4 pages XD. Thank you to everyone who reviews, in fact, anyone who reads. It really made my day to see people not wanting the story to end. I'll do my best to keep up the plot and ect.**

Chapter 25

Road opened her eyes slowly, to reveal a now calm, sleeping Allen sitting in front of her. She realized that during his nightmare, he had reached out for support and was now clutching one of the ribbons in her hair. She smiled, allowing the ribbon to slip from her hair, into his hand which then tightened its grip.

She had been within his mind for only 10 minutes, but it felt like an eternity, first she had tried to talk with his dream self, then she had to enter his nightmare to try and turn off his thought receptors. She had succeeded, but it was more difficult that she imagined, not to mention the horrible memories she was forced to view. Even seeing them for the first time made her feel sick, and she couldn't even begin to imagine the trauma of experiencing them first hand, let alone as a child.

In the dream world, she had also learned that he was due to meet the Bookman apprentice and a new exorcist at the train station in an hour, so Road decided to drag Allen there. Sadly, he was taller than her now, so his feet kicked the dirt, but he was lighter than Road had expected.

The walk was only a few minutes long, and before she knew it she was at the station. Luckily, there were no people anywhere in sight, so Road took this opportunity to drag him to an empty bench. She wished that she could stay with him longer, as she almost never had the chance to see him anymore, but she had more important matters to deal with, not to mention endangering his mission.

She placed him lying down on the bench, then proceeded to open one of her doorways leading to the ark to inform the Earl… 'Favored by both god and the Devil, "you can't fall twice"' the phrases Dream Allen muttered, came back to haunt her. She had an idea what this could mean, and if it her theory was correct… the heart of innocence would become insignificant, and the deciding factor of this war, could be already on the Earl's side…

Allen opened his eyes, banishing the darkness. He remembered running, he remembered screaming, and horrible nightmares…or could they be memories? He wasn't sure, but he remembered every detail. Looking around, he realized he was sitting at the train station.. Allen was sure he had collapsed in the forest, how did he end up here?

It was then that he realized he was clutching something. Slowly, he pried his hands open to reveal a purple ribbon that was scrunched up into a ball. There was no doubt the instant he saw the ribbon, as to who it belonged to, but the question hammering into his skull was, why was she here?

"Allen! There you are!" he heard a voice shout. He slowly recognized who the voice belonged to, freezing up at the position he was in… He was sitting on a bench; looking dazed and curious, as well as holding a girl's ribbon…this was sure not to end well. Allen tried desperately to shove the ribbon in his coat pocket, but the redhead did not fail to notice. He strode up to where Allen was sitting, practically dragging Crowley who was clinging to a large sack.

"Ooh! What was that Allen? Could It be from your secret lover?" he started off in a whisper, but ended up yelling the finish.

Crowley whimpered "Eliade.." then burst into tears. Allen decided to help Crowley, patting him on the back in an attempt to comfort him, leaving Lavi's question unanswered. Lavi couldn't help but grin mischievously at this, Allen hadn't denied his accusation….which could only mean one thing. He chuckled to himself while watching Allen try, and fail at comforting Crowley.

Allen's patience was wearing thin; Neah was still battling for his consciousness, for two reasons now. One, Allen had been suppressing him for too long, and Neah hated captivity more than anything else, secondly – they just happened to be stuck in Allen's home town, running into people who made his hatred bubble so close to the surface of his consciousness, that his only option would be to run, so that everybody around him wouldn't die. This wasn't a big deal to Allen, he honestly was looking forward to when he could end the lives of everyone in this pathetic town, no it was the thought of failing the Earl on this mission that scared him. The Earl had told him of what the 14th did, and he never wanted to betray the Earl, so he tried his hardest.

Thankfully for Allen, lady luck seemed to be having some problems, because after condemning him to return to his home town, run across his FATHER, remember horrible experiences, as well as have nightmares about them- he could hear the distant rumble of the train drawing closer. Seeing smoke rising in the distance, billowing in the wind made him let out a relived sigh.

Crowley had ceased sobbing, to stand back up and begin explaining to Allen about what he and Lavi had been doing in town. According to Crowley, they had gone shopping and purchased many wonderful artifacts, which explained the large sack he was carrying.

From Lavi's perspective that he insisted on sharing with the group, Crowley is a sucker and just bought whatever anyone told him to. Apparently he was too trusting and gullible as the townsfolk were taking advantage of that. Allen simply nodded at the explanation, not really listening, until the question arose

"What were you doing the whole time?"

Allen sighed before shrugging and replying "Nothing really I guess. Just wandered around."

Lavi perked up at this, seizing his chance to press the matter further "Oh? Are you sure you weren't off with your secret lover?"

Allen was fed up, he shook his head fiercely before replying "Listen, I just fell asleep and woke up here with this ribbon, kay?" Lavi couldn't help but chuckle, either Allen was telling the truth, or he was just a terrible liar with a story full of holes. Lavi chose the latter…it sounded more interesting and scandalous, than the former.

Allen only responded with a "Tch."

Lavi gaped, before remarking "Wow, you sound just like Yu."

Allen titled his head to the side slightly, his face looking utterly bewildered. He started stroking his chin and muttering "Yu…Yu…Hrmm. Who exactly is Yu?" Lavi burst out in laughter, before realizing Allen was completely serious.

"Er, Kanda. His first name is Yu." Allen couldn't help but let his jaw drop, he had only heard people call him Kanda so he assumed that was his given name.

Allen couldn't help but chuckle at his own stupidity. Lavi's mischievous grin returned as he asked "Hey, is it alright if I call you Moyashi, because Yu calls you that. Kuro-chan, you can call him Moyashi too!" It was more of a statement than a question as formerly dubbed 'Kuro-chan' muttered something inaudible. Allen could hear what he was saying, but it was in a different language so he didn't bother to translate.

Allen focused back on Lavi before retorting "My name is Allen. A.L.L.E.N. Got that, Baka Usagi?" Lavi burst into laughter once more, mostly out of the fact that he had earned a reaction out of Allen. The train, finally pulled up to the station, as Allen rushed to find a seat.

He didn't know why, but he was dead tiered, probably from the nightmares, and just wanted to rest. After getting lost…twice, Allen managed to find the first class cabin where Crowley and Lavi were already seated. Crowley had the window seat, and he was staring out of it completely zoned out, however Lavi was completely focused on the visitor.

"Get lost did we?" He asked, as Allen grunted before flopping back onto the seat. Resting his head against the wall, he only faintly heard Crowley excuse himself to go exploring or something, before falling into a peaceful sleep.

Allen felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, reacting immediately on instinct; he grabbed the air in front of him before full regaining consciousness.

Opening his eyes slowly, it was revealed that he had caught none other than that Baka Usagi. Allen only tightened his grip on the Red-head's hair when he saw the red-head smiling casually as if waking him up for no reason was no big deal.

Allen grunted as Lavi raised his arms indicating he meant no harm. Allen reluctantly released his grip, allowing the baka to fall to the floor with a soft thud.

"Ow!" he heard Lavi moan from where he had hit the ground. He stood up, rubbing the back of his head tenderly, as Alen only shrugged.

Regaining his persona, Lavi began to explain "It's been three hours since Kuro-chan left, and he still isn't back. I suggest we look for him." Allen nodded; Crowley apparently hadn't left that castle at all in his entire life, so it was natural for him to be curious about the outside world.

Within minutes, they had searched all the available cabins, with no signs of Crowley what-so-ever.

They reached the last cabin, as Allen swung open the door slowly to reveal Crowley sitting in only his boxers, getting his ass handed to him on a silver platter in a game of poker. Allen studied Crowley's opponents carefully; the first was wearing a beige beanie, and pulled so far down his eyes were almost invisible. The second wore a long overcoat, and had amber shoulder length hair as well as a rough beard. Allen's jaw dropped as he recognized the third…he wore glasses with a circular pattern on them, as well as a loose overalls, and working boots. His black curly hair kicked out at the nape of his neck, as his cigarette shifted slowly, almost dropping out of his mouth in amazement.

Allen could only mutter…."Tyki?"

Lavi noticed Allen expression, hurriedly asking what the matter was. Allen shook his head before stepping forward and asking "Can I play instead of him?"

Tyki shuddered, this was not good, and they were now going to lose to a pro at this game. Tyki gulped unsteadily as his friends answered for him "Sure!"

Road was hurrying franticly around the ark. She had already checked all the usual places the Earl stayed in, leaving only one room left. Many of the other Noah had run into her, as she was hurrying into every room in search for the Earl. They couldn't help but worry when they saw the frantic look and the desperation in the voice of the first child.

Road found the corridor leading to the last room with ease…finding it wasn't a problem since she wasn't Allen, but finding where the Earl actually is at any particular point in time proved to be almost impossible.

She sprinted down the last hallway, bursting through to arched doorway, into a room, piled sky-high with telephones. The Earl was currently in a phone call, but what Road had to say was important, more important that any stupid seller. She spotted him not long after entering the room; he was sitting in his rocking chair with a phone pressed up against each ear, talking hurriedly to the humans on each end. Road jumped towards him, latching her arms around his neck, sending the phones flying.

The Earl would have been slightly annoyed if it had been anyone else but his favorite child. Road released her hold suddenly, falling to the floor and staring at the Earl with serious eyes.

"Listen.." she began slowly. The Earl instantly noticed the worry and desperation in her voice, as he plucked her off the ground, placing her one his knee.

"What's the matter?" he asked, completely clueless about what was upsetting her so much. She gazed back up at him, a tear rolling down her cheek as she continued

"..Take….Take Allen off the mission on the heart." The Earls jaw dropped, had she just asked him that? Surely she knows that it is important, and that Allen has to stay on that mission…what in the world could make her request something so outrageous?

Road grabbed the Earl's overcoat with desperation then attempted to plead "Listen. I visited Allen's Dream self again, and I learned something important. I have a theory…about who Allen really is. It is important…take Allen off this mission, and bring him home. If my theory is correct, the heart isn't the thing that holds this entire war in its fingertips…it's Allen."


	26. Chapter 26  'That man'

Chapter 26

Needless the say The Earl was stunned at what he had just heard from the eldest child. Not only had she just pleaded to him while crying, but the things she said…she must have realized something horrible.

The Earl could only stutter a response "W-What happened?"

Road cast her eyes down, avoiding his gaze , before grasping his overcoat tighter and replying, in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible amongst the ringing phones "I, I don't have time to explain why right now. But please, I need to investigate something, and once I return- we need to get Allen back."

The Earl tilted his head slightly, pondering over the consequences of allowed her to leave. She stared back up at him, now adorable puppy-dog eyes, replacing the distraught face she displayed minutes earlier. He couldn't help but chuckle then nod slowly, patting her on the head in an effort to comfort her.

As soon as he gave conformation, she shot off his lap, summoning a door in the corner of the room. "Be careful!" He yelled after her, he didn't know why- but the way she looked at him gave him some clues that was she was doing was going to be dangerous.

Road's mind was in a jumble, slowly fitting the pieces together to the puzzle that was Allen Walker. True, he had intrigued them all, and after she had seen his past, she had thought it would be practically impossible for something else to be hidden.

Now, she was doubting her beliefs, her theory….It made so much sense now, almost having the puzzle solved, although she was missing one piece. One vital piece of evidence, one singular entity that could solve everything…- or should I say memory. Yes, she had to find him; she had to find the only person in the world who could provide that last piece of the puzzle to the mystery that is Allen Walker. Stepping through her heart-shaped doors, while waving goodbye to the Earl, she had only one destination in mind

_Take me to Bukott Angyal_

It goes without saying that Tyki and his mining buddies had been destroyed, trounced, hosed, cheated, swindled, conned, and all in all completely beaten by Allen despite the numerous rounds they played. Tyki was just happy they hadn't been playing for money, thank god. Otherwise he would be...well, very broke.

Again Tyki had been reduced to nothing but his underwear but what was worse was he had put his pack of smokes on the line in order to keep playing. _I knew I was going to need more smokes. Dammit, how does that kid do it. I know he's cheating but I can't catch him. _

Allen was proud of himself, he hadn't beaten Tyki this badly in quite some time, and it felt oh so good. Lavi and Crowley watched him in awe, unable to comprehend how he kept drawing unbeatable hands. Lavi had eventually was fed up with being ignorant of the situation, and decided to just ask Allen how he was doing it.

Allen's usual kind, warm smile was replaced by a malicious grin, without paying any heed to Lavi constantly prodding his shoulder, he simply whispered "It's because I'm cheating." Lavi was dumbstruck, just how had he been cheating so effectively that even Lavi had completely missed it. He watched Allen draw his hand closely this time, still not catching him in the act.

The train stopped as Allen folded the clothes as well as the smokes he had gained from their little 'game'. He chuckled to himself darkly as Tyki was horrified that Allen might actually not return his clothes, and he would have to leave the train in this state. Allen smiled with fake kindness as him and his buddies' trotted off the train, shivering as they realized snow was falling outside.

Allen decided to be kind, just this once to him, even though he thought it was hilarious to the Tyki in the state, his brotherly impulses stopped him from allowing him to actually be in danger. Carefully, ensuring no one would notice, he pocketed the remainder of Tyki's smokes that were left in the trousers.

Smirking, Allen folded up the clothes, and then held them all out the window to the shivering group. They all grimaced, retorting that they didn't need charity, but actions spoke louder than words in this case as they all instantly grabbed for their clothing.

Tyki hurriedly pulled it on, before waving goodbye to his brother, who was grinning gleefully, and had his head, no almost half of his body out the window facing back towards Tyki. Tyki chuckled as he saw the upcoming tunnel the train was about to enter, this would be a show if Allen didn't realize. Instinctively he reached in his trouser pocket to grab a pack of smokes, only to find them completely empty. _That brat…He took all the rest of my smokes!_

Allen could help the huge grin that spread across his face as he handed Tyki his clothing, and watched him and his friends pull them on hurriedly. Oh, he wanted to watch when Tyki realized he had no cigarettes left in his pocket, so he stuck almost half his body out the window in an attempt to watch the scene.

Tyki seemed to be smirking at Allen, with an all knowing look, that both of the Noah were incidentally wearing, knowing what was in store for the other. Allen watched as Tyki's hand shot into his pocket, diving for a packet instinctively, only to come up empty. He watched as Tyki's smirk turned into a look of pure frustration as he realized he had been pick-pocketed.

Allen couldn't help but burst out laughing at his reaction, but as soon as Tyki had shown anger, his face turned back into a mischievous grin. He then saw Tyki bring his hand over his mouth, as if to stop himself from laughing. Allen didn't get time to ponder over this before-

WHACK.

A head making contact with concrete at 40 miles per hour never sounds pretty. He drew his head back inside the train, realizing what Tyki had been laughing at. He scowled at this, still glad that neither Lavi nor Crowley were present to his what had just happened. I mean, the fact that Allen's head was still attached to his shoulders, instead of being just a stain on some bricks would be suspicious, and the fact that the only evidence of his embarrassing incident was an ever-growing lump on the back of his head. He rubbed it tenderly, passing out soon after into a listless sleep.

"Moyashi-chan!" Allen heard the all too familiar voice calling out his name once again; he pulled his eyes opens slowly to reveal a very eager Lavi, and a worried looking Crowley.

Allen sat up groggily before replying "Where are we?"

Lavi chuckled at his confused state before explaining "We're home, Moyashi."

Allen snapped his attention back to Lavi before replying "Its Allen, baka usagi."

Allen looked over Crowley once more. He hadn't noticed it before, but Crowley's sweat-glazed features made him shine brighter than the lamps that lit the train.

Allen couldn't help but chuckle slightly, reaching out and patting him on the shoulder and asking "Nervous?" Crowley only shook his head, his hands fidgeting with his cloak, as Lavi seized the opportunity to pull both of them into an awkward three-way hug. Allen instantly pulled out of it, reminding him too much of when the twins did the same thing- although with them, their guns were drawn then suddenly you were frozen in an ice-cube with them until someone was kind enough to come and thaw them out. Allen supposed that would be considered humorous, if he had not had to experience it so many times in his times at the mansion.

Lavi began to drag both him and Crowley unwillingly towards the Black Order, snapping Allen out of his trance, he instantly stood by himself and began to walk alongside Lavi. Both Allen and Lavi were forced to almost drag Crowley towards the entrance, which was just another annoyance, not to mention the constant swarm of golems that surrounded the group like a mist.

They eventually reached the large gate that blocked their path. Allen could still sense the presence of the gatekeeper, as he emerged, showing himself to Crowley, who whimpered falling to his knees, praying for mercy. The gatekeeper activated its x-ray vision to reveal Akuma blood in the lungs of this new traveler.

"ITS AN AKUMA, RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" it shouted desperately, as the man who was now bending over, began sobbing, trying to defend himself. Allen stood defensively in front of the cowering Crowley- previous dubbed Kuro-chan, as Komui revealed himself from the shadows riding on something monstrous.

Allen couldn't help but recognize the robot…he had encountered them from time to time at the Order, and whenever they appeared, it only leads to one thing- disaster. This one was a black, with stripes as well as its typical French Beret, matching Komui's. Allen recognized the crazed gleam in the supervisor's eye, indicating that he had stayed up all night…again.

_Not good._ Were Allen's last thoughts as a cry pierced his thoughts.

"KOMURIN III, DESTROY THE AKUMA!" Lavi muttered curses under his breath, as Allen grabbed Crowley by his collar, pulling both him and Crowley out of the attack the robot had just launched. Lavi was fed up enough with these damn inventions, and decided to put a stop to it before it could cause any real harm to the newest recruit.

"Grow, Grow, grow!" his hammer was suddenly the size of a small apartment building. He swung it with ease at the robot, in the hope do destroy it in one shot.

To Lavi's horror, Komurin pulled out a pot, and yelled "Pot, pot, pot!" In an instantly, the pot had grown to match the size of Lavi's hammer. As the two objects clashed, sparks flew everywhere and Allen tried to protect Crowley. More out of desperation than anything else, Lavi tried to melt the damn thing.

"Hi-bang!" he yelled, summing a giant fire-snake that entwined heading straight towards the robot. The robot simply raised the enlarged pot, absorbing all the flame, using it to heat the pan. The robot then…what? The robot just cracked opens hundreds of eggs simultaneously, then pulled out a giant specula, and proceeded to cook them. It added other ingredients, cooking it to perfection, then grabbed Lavi and placed him on top.

Komui yelled "Today's chef special, Mediterranean-style Lavi is ready!" while gesturing to Lavi, who by now was covered in sauce.

Allen's eyes widened and he gaped as he saw the dish, drool spilled out of his mouth uncontrollably…what had it been since he had last eaten? 24 hours? He was famished!

Unable to control it any longer, Allen sprinted forward towards the dish. Not even Komurin was fast enough to block him as he was now sitting next to Lavi, digging in hungrily at the dish in front of him.

Lavi could only gape, then he muttered "This isn't possible…I mean this thing is like 20 times his size, there's no way he could eat all that…" he was cut off but loud chewing sounds, as Allen had already started on his meal.

Lavi was stunned to see the big hole that the moyashi had left, which looked like a tunnel. Lavi turned around and looked at the spectators of this particular event; Crowley was sobbing next to a tree, Komurin was busy preparing another dish that hopefully didn't involve any exorcists, Komui was sitting atop his robot marveling at its wonderful cooking, and Allen was nowhere to be seen. Lavi could have sworn he felt the layer he was sitting on waver for a split second.

He studied the dish he was sitting on closely, watching it collapse in horror. The only part left now was the outer layer on which Lavi had been seated; the inside was completely hollow, collapsing onto itself to reveal a lump the size of the moyashi, who was now devouring the final layer.

So enticed in his feeding frenzy, he did not realize the object he had just bitten down on that tasted like sauce, none the less, was Lavi's boot.

"Oi! Don't bite!" Lavi exclaimed, kicking Allen off. Allen looked around in a daze, realizing he was now almost full, and the bite mark on Lavi's boot, it was not hard for Allen to piece to two together. Allen scratched the back of his head, while smiling back at an annoyed Lavi.

Their attentions were brought back to Komurin, as it tried to fry their newest recruit. Allen jumped into action, remembering the disable code for the last one; he shut it down with ease and precision, slightly surprised that it hadn't changed.

Komui looked severely disappointed that they wouldn't be having fried-vampire for dinner, but was pining over their return none the less.

Crowley was a trembling mess on the ground. The poor guy, a group of finders, as well as Allen and Lavi stayed with him, bringing him to Komui's office. Once Crowley was completely strapped down, Komui pulled out several dangerous looking drills and hammers, along with a construction hat and an evil grin. 30 minutes of painful screaming, Crowley was then brought to the elevator that took them to Hevlaska's chamber.

More screaming, and yelling from Crowley's behalf, and he as finally back with Allen and Lavi. To Crowley's surprise, apparently Allen had left to finish his meal at the cafeteria when Crowley was with Komui. Crowley was dumb-struck at how such a small kid could eat so much…I mean where did it all go?

After staying up past midnight, chatting with Lavi and Crowley, Allen decided he deserved some good sleep on a proper bed and made his way back to his chamber. He flopped over on the relatively comforting bed, sifting through his pockets until he found what he was looking for. Eventually, he found in crumpled up in his left trouser pocket. He pulled it out, un-scrunching it slowly- and staring at the ribbon while smiling sadly. He then fell into a deep sleep, free of nightmares, and memories thanks to a certain blue-haired girl.

She had been wondering around the town for hours now, asking the townsfolk about a certain man. All gave the same answer, as Road slowly became more confident at where he was. She had found a certain house with ease, using the memories to guide her.

She had taken the same path Allen used to take, all those years ago. Approaching that man wasn't what was worrying her, it was containing herself and leaving him unharmed was the thing she was worried about.

Mustering all her mental strength, she waltzed towards the hours and kicked the old, door down. The timber it was made of was rotting, so it gave way easily. She walked in slowly, surveying the inside of the house. It looked almost the same as it did in the memories, only unkempt and dirty. She faced the living room, as there were no lights what so ever in the entire house. She summoned one of her candles which floated slowly over the kitchen, to reveal a table that Road remembered all too well from Allen's memories. There was a figure slumped over the table, covered with long mahogany, wild hair and dull lifeless eyes. The figure didn't even flinch and the intrusion, and only grasped its beer bottle tighter.

Road couldn't help but allow her lips curl in disgust as she spat "…You."

Page 3 of 3


	27. Chapter 27  Theories

**Authors Note: Thank you so much to everyone who reviews ^^ Almost 100 of them so far. Apologies for my spelling and grammar, ect. I do my best to try and keep mistakes to a minimum. To be honest I've always been a dismal speller, but I'm slowly getting better!**

Chapter 27

The figure remained motionless, still slumped over the table in the same depressing manner as earlier. Road knew, ever since she spoke, that she would not have much time to accomplish what she wanted. Having this in mind, she darted behind him, placing one cold, finger on his forehead. A pale light illuminated the room where she had made contact with his forehead, before both were of them were swept into a sea of memories.

They were jumbled, very difficult to sift through, but Road was managing it with years of practice, she found the time period she was looking for. In an instant, the settings around the two changed, back into the hospital scene Road had already witnessed.

_No, not far enough_

She thought to herself, as the memories slowly rewound, changing the scene once again. Their surroundings melded back into the scene they were currently in, in real life, but the house was clean this time, neat as well as it was broad daylight.

Road watched as the figure's features were now clearly visible. He had short, mahogany hair as well as a rough, beginning of a beard. He had a muscular build, along with gleaming green eyes, that were full of anger. His fists were clenched tightly below the table as he sweat-dropped. The other figure in the room, was the woman Road had seen earlier in the hospital bed. She looked more youthful, but her features were covered as she had bowed her head in shame.

"Your what?" the man snapped fiercely, unable to contain the blinding rage in his voice. The woman fell to her knees, sobbing quietly covering her face with her hands.

"I, I swear I didn't… I don't know how, but I am!" she whimpered, as the man smashed the table with his fist.

"Whose is it?"The man asked with a false calm, looking like he was about to explode any second. "WHO'S IS IT?" he repeated again, this time unable to control the level of his voice, as it rattled the whole house and left the woman clutching her ears. "ANSWER ME! IF ITS NOT MINE, THEN WHO?...who?" he yelled again, slamming his fist on the table in frustration.

The woman, who was still sobbing on the ground, managed to whisper back "I don't know. I didn't do anything with anyone! Stupid as it sounds, believe me!" she pleaded, allowing her hands to fall from her face, revealing long chestnut brown hair, as well as shimmering silver eyes, glazed by the torrents of tears streaming down her cheek.

The man eventually stood up from the table, looking down on the woman for a few moments, before deciding that she was telling the truth. He bent down and pulled her into an one-armed embrace, then whispered in her ear "I believe you. As long as you are by my side, I will help raise the child you carry, even though it is not my own."

The woman whimpered again, returning the embrace then replied with an almost inaudible "thank you." The memory began to collapse, leaving Road and Allen's father both in the original room.

Road's gaze was cold and merciless, as she turned to leave and growled "I'll let Allen have his fun with you.." The phrase echoed multiple times around the hollow room, but the only occupant had lost consciousness long ago.

It took her no time at all to summon one of her doors, and return to the ark, now with the piece of evidence she was looking for. If her theory was correct, there is no way that Allen's father was some low-life scum like that man, especially one that caused him so much suffering. Road left the miserable town, with an extra spring in her step, as Allen would soon be free to take revenge on them, and make them repent for their sins. Oh, it would be a wonderful day, but Road couldn't help but think it would make a great birthday present for the young Noah, as Christmas as well as his birthday were closing in.

Road skipped happily into the ark, as the other Noah's watched her major attitude change in wonder. Only an hour had passed since she was a sobbing wreck, and now she looked like a child who had just bought a new-favorite toy. Ignoring their curious glanced completely; she made her way to where she had last left the Earl. She didn't know why she didn't just open her door to that room, but she thought that the walk there might be enjoyable, as she still needed time to process what was going on.

Her mind was a complete mess to say the least, every second hundreds of theories and explanations were being formed, but then disposed as one fact did not fit every single time. This was frustrating for her, but none the less, she had found one without this fatal flaw, and she was willing to bet her life that it was true. The only thing that worried her were the repercussions of what would happen if it was true… she gulped, knocking on the large arched doorway only to have it swing open from the contact.

She approached slowly, seeing the Earl not answering any phones, only staring at the ground in dismay. He still hadn't noticed the first child enter, so just kept staring at the ground in a daze, completely entranced by the words that the eldest had said earlier. Road decided to let her presence be known, how? By pouncing and latching her arms around the Earl's neck of course?

He gawked in surprise, before realizing what had happened, then rubbed his head and grinned sheepishly.

She decided to explain herself a little to him and started off by saying "I discovered something important where I went looking. Everything is fitting into place, but there are still a few things I need to clear up, so before I explain, I have to ask you a few questions."

The Earl nodded solemnly, as Road continued "I want to know. Why did the 14th betray us?" The Earl gaped in surprise; he had forgotten that she was the only survivor of his massacre almost 35 years ago now.

Quickly regaining his posture, he replied "He said he wanted to become the new millennium earl…"

Trailing off, Road piped up once again "But why?"

The Earl simply shrugged for he had no clue what possessed his youngest child to commit such acts upon his own family. Road shook her head slowly, she still couldn't understand why, and that was the important thing.

"Oh well, I guess I should explain myself then. It all started when I was viewing Allen's memories, the name of the town he grew up in intrigued me since I first heard it. I remembered hearing it somewhere, before I realized it was Hungarian for Fallen Angel. This in itself was no surprise, as there are many towns across the globe that were called this, but something about made me feel somewhat nostalgic, so I decided to research it some more. After hours of searching, I found what I was looking for. It was just an old prophecy, but it mentioned that 'The true Fallen Angel' would someday return to the town. At that point I could only guess at who the true fallen angle is referring to, but now I know it is somehow connected to Allen. I spoke with the Dream version of Allen again, to attempt to save him from his nightmares, which in truth were twisted versions of his memories. He said many things which I fear may foreshadow future events, but every time I asked him about why Allen doesn't become a Fallen One, he replied simply that 'Allen is special.' I attempted to ask him again on this visit, and he responded this time, adding more detail. He said that 'He is favored by both god and the Devil' and also that 'you cant fall twice'. After hearing that, there was no doubt in my mind that Allen was somehow connected to the fallen angel. Realizing this, I decided to research Allen's immediate family, hence why I rushed off before. I found his father, and poked around within his past, until I found out that he is not Allen's biological father…."

She trailed off, for the first time appearing completely lost in thought. The Earl however, was left gaping for the second time in the same night as he tried to process all this new information.

Road redirected her gaze, back up to the stunned Earl as her explanation turned into a plea "Please Millennie! Bring Allen home, I fear that all of this has something to do with the heart, and we need to find out what!" the Earl processed this as well, considering his options carefully. He knew he couldn't let the Order realize who Allen truly was just yet, maybe if they 'kidnapped' him, then the Order would still believe he is an exorcist…

As if Road was reading his thoughts, she piped up once more "If we send Lulu in the form of a beaten and bloody Allen, after having already brought him back using my door, we can make it seem like he was kidnapped after being injured!" The Earl stroked his chin thoughtfully, considering the idea carefully. It seemed foolproof enough, but a slightest mistake on their behalf could blow their cover, as well as Allen's.

He sighed once again, before patting Road on the head affectionately and giving in to her demands. She was ecstatic to say the least, and instantly pounced on him once more, causing them both to fall over onto the ground.

"Alright then, I'll go get Lulubell and inform her…Since Allen will probably be asleep now, I suggest you go visit Neah, and ask him to take Allen's body to through the door, okay?" The Earl more of stated than asked. Road nodded happily as she bounced off him, skipping excitedly out the door. The Earl adjusted his top hat slightly, sighing heavily- this would be one long night.

Road couldn't have been happier, she was literally bouncing off the walls once she left the room, and was on her way to her own so that she could talk with Neah….Even thinking his name gave her chills, she still didn't fully understand why she was the only one to escape his wrath. She didn't understand him, and that is why she was so giddy about talking to him.

She flopped back on her bed, willing her mind to wander into the dream world, which was not difficult considering the years of practice she'd had. Quickly she found herself within the familiar white, walls of Allen's mind, floating down the corridor that lead to that small room.

To her surprise, she saw Allen's dream-self lying back on a couch, looking almost asleep. Her eyes darted around the room until she spotted 'him' lying on the floor, with his arms behind his head, wearing a peaceful expression but with his golden eyes wide open.

"I have to talk to you, brother." She whispered as quietly as she could so she wouldn't wake Allen's slumbering dream-self.

To her surprise, he burst out laughing then replied calmly "He can't, and he won't wake. While Allen is truly asleep- not dreaming, he is too."

Road nodded thoughtfully, before sitting down next to Neah.

There were so many questions running through her head, but the only one she could manage was a choked "…Why?"

He sat up at this, staring at her before shrugging and inquiring "why, what?" Road could hear her voice faltering, as all the explanations dried up before she could force an answer.

The eventually managed to control herself and replied "Why am I the only survivor, apart from the Earl?" Neah shrugged at this, with his usual nonchalant attitude.

Neah knew the answer to this, along with everything else she wanted to know, but he couldn't answer her truthfully just yet…though the time would come soon. He decided to respond, but only telling her half of the truth "Because I don't know you." He said simply. Road's jaw dropped, she couldn't believe this was the answer to the question she'd been waiting so long to ask.

Regaining her posture, she managed to stutter "We knew each other for years…"

Neah gazed at her thoughtfully, before responding "We did. In order to 'kill' you, one must know your true form which I did not." It all made sense to Road, why he didn't even bother with her and just killed those most precious to her instead. It made her fluster with rage, but she managed to contain her calm.

Neah couldn't help but let a sad smile spread its way across his features, yes it was certainly true that, that was one of the main reasons he didn't kill her, but there were many others, so much deeper and more important, not that he would ever explain- let alone her understand. A silence fell across the room, as Road tried to decide what to ask next, and Neah tried to decide what he should tell the eldest Noah.

Road was the first to break the silence as she asked, in an almost inaudible voice "Why did you do it?" Neah knew this was coming, it was inevitable, and he couldn't help but notice the crushed expression that adorned the face of the eldest Noah.

He sighed once more, placing a comforting arm on her shoulder before replying "I can't tell you yet. I'll tell Allen, how about that? He could explain it to you better than I could…" He trailed off, loosing himself in countless memories as Road simply pondered over what he could mean. She shook it off, turning back to face him, as she decided to get on with the real reason why she was here.

"We're going to 'kidnap' Allen from the Order and bring him home. Can you take over his body for awhile while we set everything up? We know how much you've missed the outside world…" she trailed off. Neah's face lit up in joy, finally Allen would be out of that damn Order, and Neah could be set free more often.

"Sure!" he exclaimed, enthusiastically, as Road couldn't help but chuckle at his eagerness. She stood up slowly, turning her back to the room, and walking away slowly.

"Syonara, Road." Neah called out after her, as she raised one hand waving back in response. It was finally time for Allen to come home…so then, why was she so worried?

Allen opened his eyes slowly, to a world unlike reality. Everything was blurred, as he felt something wrapped tightly around his arms as well as binding his chest. Eyes darting around the scene, he realized he was seated on a large, stone chair with his arms and legs bound tightly by chains. He attempted to struggle but it was of no use.

A soft voice split the air "Don't struggle; I'm only taking over for a while. In the meantime, would you like to hear a tale?" Allen was beyond confused, and his facial expression clearly showed it. Neah couldn't help but chuckle, as he revealed himself standing in front of the boy.

Allen's jaw dropped as he muttered "Neah? What are y-" Neah chuckled again, before addressing him as if he were a child.

"Listen close, because I'm only going to say this once. This is a tale, of something that happened almost 35 years ago…"

Allen's mind was swarming….that number, 35 years…he knew something important happened then, but he couldn't remember what.

"Allen…Do you want to know why I 'betrayed' the Millennium Earl?"

Page 3 of 3


	28. Chapter 28  A Small Truth

Chapter 28

"Allen…Do you want to know why I 'betrayed' the Millennium Earl?" he asked softly, as Allen's eyes felt like they were about to pop out of his skull. Of course his answer was yes, but he was to surprised to even formulate an answer.

Neah shrugged casually, as Allen tried to stutter back "y-yes."

Neah gazed in the direction of Allen with almost sad, golden eyes before closing them slowly as he spoke. " It was all because of my idealistic notion of being a 'savior'…I was truly a fool, and still am. For you to understand this, we are going to have to go back a little while...37 years to be exact.

Back then, I was a mere farmer boy named Neah Walker who lived with his older brother Mana Walker. Our parents had been killed when we were both young, so after that we stayed together and were very close. Being farmers, we didn't have much money to spare though we still got by alright, until 'that' day came.

I didn't know what was happening to me, every night I had the same string of nightmares of someone else's memories. They were horrible; all I remember now of them was seeing the same image every time at the end, a devilish face staring back at me with a malicious grin. I was only young then, so of course I was scared. I tried to seek comfort with my older brother, which usually worked during the day, but at night they would always return regardless of where I was. The nightmares were agonizing, terrifying and worst, constant but it was always bearable, because I knew it wasn't real.

As you can guess, that belief faded soon as well, as the headaches set it. I was bed-ridden for days, unable to move, as Mana tried his hardest to stay by my side, though he still had to feed the animals and leave me from time to time.

It was when he was gone, that voices started talking to me. I thought I was going crazy, who knows, perhaps I was. The voices told me to repent for my sin, which at the time, I was also clueless about. The headaches lasted a total of 10 long days which I remember all too well, and you know what happened on that tenth day?

My forehead split open, as the first of the holy marks engraved itself on my forehead. The pain, it was almost too much, but the only thing that kept me conscious through it all, I knew that whatever pain I was feeling now, it would be much worse if I fell asleep, and was again at the mercy of those horrible nightmares. For days, blood continued to pour out of the wounds on my brow, until the fourteenth day, when as you can guess 'he' arrived.

To my surprise, he was looking worried every time he looked at me, even fearful. It confused me, but he explained about who I was, what I was happening about innocence and 'god', but the weirdest part for me, was that I somehow already knew everything he had said. It was engraved into my brain, as the stigmata were now, into my forehead.

The Earl said that I would come to live with the rest of the Noah, which didn't bother me, except for the betrayal that I felt when I left Mana. I left my brother a note, promising I would return as soon as I could…"

Neah trailed off, lost in memories, all swirling on the surfaces of his glimmering golden eyes. Allen was captivated, spellbound, and so lost in what he had been told that he had yet to realize Neah had stopped talking.

Neah shook his head slowly then continued "I kept my promise to him, and I returned as often as I could. That by itself was no problem, as the other Noah also had ties with the humans, but the thing that terrified me, was that every time I visited Mana, the voices grew louder. They sung in almost a perfect melody, telling me that he needed to be saved, and the only way to achieve that would be through death.

It frightened me, to say the least. I didn't want to kill my only family; it hurt me to even think such things. This was one of the many reasons, along with my growing dislike of humans in general that my visits to Mana started to become less frequent.

Again, I still saw him at least once a week, but I feared every meeting, afraid that I would hurt him. This carried on for about a month, until the incident happened.

It started out like every other day on the ark, with the eternal white sky and pale light. I was asked to go into town with some of the other Noah's, as apparently a new Noah had awakened and was being brought to the ark and needed clothes. I went with Bondomu, Lustful and Road, whom I spent most of my time with.

At this time, the Noah in each was more prominent than the humanity, which meant that they were called by their true names, as for me? Well, no progress had been made into who I was, so I was known as Neah- The Musician, because of my ability to play any interment with such frightening beauty, that it made even the Earl weep.

We were on our way to the town, as the voices in my head grew louder and louder, and soon I was unable to distinguish them from real voices. They were shouting at me, screaming inside my brain to save all the humans in the overcrowded town.

It only took minutes, the whole time my vision was blurred and senses dulled, as I knew it was not truly 'me' who had destroyed the town. Something I did notice however, during the events that my right eye had completely numbed. I could no longer feel it, at all and it was scaring me.

The other Noah's laughed and joked at how insecure I was, destroying the town simply for some clothes, which earned me the title of 'The Destroyer'. What they realized after everything was in ashes, that my right eye was no longer visible, instead there was an empty socket. It shone at them, almost blinding as I stared in horror at what appeared to be their souls.

Consciousness began to fade at once, as the voices, now the only sound I could hear told me this was a 'gift' from them to me…."

Neah looked down at the ground with an almost shameful look, as Allen's eyes bulged once more. He remembered that phrase, as it was what Neah had said to him, not all that long ago.

Neah started to cackle, almost maniacally then replied with a cold edge "Yes, I'm not surprised you remember it boy, but just remember, that was not truly me speaking, for 'I' do not exist. I guess the best name for me right now would be a memory… Anyway, the Noah brought me back to the ark where I was unconscious for days. The whole time, my sleep was plagued with nightmares, as I saw more visions, and the voices remained my only companion.

I awoke, exactly two weeks later, and luckily was alone. I was disoriented, confused as I wandered out of the room, into a random door that lead me to some place in England. I wandered around aimlessly, without seeing another soul, literally, until fate had other ideas, and I found myself at the edge of a town.

I have no idea what possessed me to do what I did next, I still don't know after having 35 years to ponder over it….I wandered into the town, horrified that my eye would not turn off. I was able to clearly see, all the souls around me. Even the happiest, richest men, their souls were suffering greatly. It was horrible, and the worst part was I had the 'gift' of feeling their pain as well. After that, I remember the voices commanding me to save the, which I proceeded to do.

After only minutes, the town was reduced once again to ash, as the Earl appeared looking shocked and worried. He tried to grab me, but I could hear myself screaming. The sight which I saw was truly not meant for mortal eyes… As I could not turn my eye off, I witnessed the horrible suffering soul of the Earl himself.

Living for over 7000 years, as well as having your soul encased with dark matter, had a terrifying effect on it. The voices again, shouted at me to save him, and take his place in suffering. Part of me agreed with the voices, who knows maybe the voices were a part of my subconscious…But part of me wanted to take his place, not for a such petty reasons as power, or jealousy, but because of my simple, idealistic notion of being a 'savior', as another part of me felt that I needed to repent, and this was the only way.

Unable to control myself, I lashed out at him. He was surprised to say the least, as I saw tears falling from his eyes. It shattered my heart, but what I did next destroyed my heart completely. The Earl, he refused to attack me, to fight with his own brother. He refused to believe that the one he loved, they all loved, as a part of their family would do this. He cried, dodging each one of my attacks by only millimeters.

The other Noah, they could all feel the Earls pain. They had no idea what they had gotten themselves into, as they all showed up to defend him, and the broken and crushed expressions on their faces when they saw it was my doing, destroyed what left of a humanity I had. My eye revealed their souls once again, all in pain and suffering just as the Earl's was. It was horrible; I truly wanted nothing more for them to be at peace, as the voices took control of me once again.

None of them were expecting what happened next, I lashed out, attacked, killed, murdered them… The first was Wisely, he wasn't much of a fighter, but he could see into my mind, and after the smug smile he always gave after he read someone's mind, I swear I saw his face twist into a heart-wrenching, smile- as a single tear fell, and rolled down his cheek as his life drained away. I didn't know why I didn't look back at him, if I had I would have stopped, and everything could have been alright...problem was, I didn't look back.

I just kept fighting, murdering my family with the foolish idea that they were being saved. By the end, there were only two left, the Earl….and Road."

He trailed off once again, with a positively hurt look in his eyes, as Allen could swear he saw a tear fall from Neah's left eye.

Allen couldn't take it anymore, he had to know so he called "Why…why didn't you kill her?" his voice was filled with sorrow and desperation, as Neah smiled back at him; again it was not joyful but heart wrenching.

"Many reasons, the first being I didn't know her true form, meaning I couldn't kill her anyway. That the only reason I told her when she asked me, but I think she deserves to hear more, and I want you to be the one to tell her. Another reason why, was that my eye did not see her soul, as the body she was in was not her true form. If I had known her true form, maybe the results would have been different…but there was a third reason.

It was that stupid human emotion, affection, adoration, respect, lust, infatuation, tenderness…call it whatever the hell you want, but the perfect mix of emotions known simply as 'love'. I couldn't bring myself to do it, even with the voice blocking out the rest of my humanity, I couldn't ever bring myself to do that to her, knowing it wouldn't save her, only harm her. This hesitation almost cost me my life, as the Earl finally regained himself after watching his own family get slaughtered by one he considered to be a part of it.

He impaled me, through my chest, still with tears running down his face. I don't know what it was, but the nightmare didn't end there, I didn't die from the wound, and I ran. I ran to the only person I knew and loved who wasn't a part of that family, I sought comfort with my older brother, but in the end, I only ended up dragging him into the whole mess.

We ran and we ran, but never could escape. Eventually, he hunted us down and I told Mana to run, and that if he did, I would one day return. He obliged unwillingly, leaving me to my fate. The Earl approached slowly, not with hatred or anger in his eyes, only terrible sadness, as I saw Road perched on his shoulder, with the same, heartbroken stare.

What she said next, broke me, if I remember correctly, she said 'I know what you were trying to do…you wanted to save them, but it doesn't work like that!' she started to sob as the Earl did as well. I lay still, accepting my fate, as the sword plunged through my chest once more.

The last sounds I heard from the mortal world were Road sobbing to my corpse and whimpering "baka..baka! no matter if you 'destroy' them, they'll just reincarnate into another human, destroying another life and cursing another soul… we Noah, can and will never be free.'"

He trailed off once again, staring at the ground, but this time tears were streaming down his cheek, falling softly to the ground. Allen realized, that throughout the 'story' he had been crying too, even without realizing it having been so spell-bound by the words.

Allen could only mutter a response "So…that's why all the Noah are called by their human names, apart from Road…"

Neah, who was now sitting on the ground, nodded slowly. His distraught face, turned once again into a miserable attempt at a smile and finished "If I had only glanced back at what happened to Wisely's soul when I murdered him… when I destroyed the previous humans, their souls all floated up and out of sight, where as I can only guess that his stayed exactly where it was, still chained down to this earth.

Even to this day, I still remember the look he gave me before he died. That all-knowing stuck up look he gave everyone when he read their minds, which had turned into a tragic smile, knowing what would happen after I attempted what I was doing…" he paused once again, all traces of his earlier miserable state disappeared, as he stood up and brushed himself off, deep into Allen's silvery eyes, with his own golden ones.

He spoke once more "By the way, in the time that I was telling you my tale, I took you away from that miserable Order and back home. The plan went exceedingly well, but all the Noah will want to ask you about something, so give you a hint that you can relay onto them." His tragic expression, turned almost instantly into an all-knowing smirk as he began to drift slowly away.

He called back after Allen, who started to regain consciousness "Here is your hint…There is no 'Fourteenth' there never was. 'Neah' was and is only a part of me. I-no **we**, are something entirely different…"

Page 2 of 2


	29. Chapter 29  Escape

Chapter 29

"Lulu! Lulu! Where are you, Lulubelle?"

Road trotted around the deserted halls of the Noah's mansion, a saucer of warm milk in one hand and one of her ribbons with a bell attached in the other. She needed Lulubell if ever she was to execute her plan to extract Allen from that hideous Black Order. As if she had some sort of incredible milk-sensing powers, Lulu pounced out from a shadowy corner in her cat form, diving at the Milk-woman. Road's face lit up with devilish glee as she drew an amazingly oversized cage from behind her back, slamming it down over Lulu's head, who looked up in shock and awe, having seemed to have forgotten that anyone else was in her presence. As quick as her powers would allow, Lulubell melted into a puddle of grayish goo which quickly spread out of the cage, reforming into the lustful figure of a young, beautiful woman with seven Stigmata across her forehead and skin that appeared to be colored with ash. In fact, it seemed as if she were made of ash, her skin was constantly fluctuating, she didn't even appear to be solid. It was as if you were looking into a pond that had constant ripples reverberating from the center. "Ah, Lulu, pretty as ever, I see."

Lulubell blushed and turned away, replying,

"That was a mean trick you just played on me, but it was your fault for going around carrying that delicious milk. So, what did you want me for, Sister?"

Road's tone darkened; she was now sounding less like a twelve year old and more like a six-and-a-half-thousand year old god.

"You see, dear Lulu, I have a plan. A plan to steal Allen away from the clutches of the Black Order in the dead of night, but it requires your cooperation."

Lulubell's expression lifted when she heard Allen's name mentioned, and Road grinned as Lulu tried and failed to hide her happiness. Road knew she had her convinced.

Road knew the only other person she needed would be easy to acquire, if only she could find him! After searching not only the ark, but the mansion as well, she still had no idea where her father was. The only room she hadn't tried…then it hit her; she knew exactly where her father was.

She ran as fast as she could towards her own room, hitting the doors with a thud. She swung them open with ease to reveal a panic-stricken Sheryl sitting on her bed, crying over how she wasn't there and that it was way past her bed time. After literally dragging him away from her room, they reached where she had met with Lulubell earlier and where she had left the milk.

Sure enough, Lulubell was still in her cat form, savoring the last droplets from the silver saucer. Road gained their attentions simultaneously by yelling, "If you help me, Allen will come home!" Seeing as both acted like over-protective parents towards the boy, this was Road's best bargaining chip, and it worked like a charm.

After explaining her ingenious plan to Lulubell and Sheryl, who both readily agreed to it, she and Lulubell proceeded onwards to where they would summon the inter-dimensional gate, with Sheryl running off, mumbling something about preparation for Allen's return.

To execute their 'flawless' plan, according to Road, they needed Neah's help to bring Allen's body back through the ark. They didn't doubt that he would do it, seeing as he hated the order as much as anyone else, as well as caring for Allen more than he would like to admit. Once they reached Road's room, she was quick to grab the necessary items, as a few bloodied candles and several broken chains. Yes, everything was perfect. The pair stepped through the heart shaped doors, waltzing through dimensions as if it were a regular stroll in the park.

In no time at all, they appeared in Allen's room...which was more like a cell in their opinion, only to witness a peaceful, slumbering Allen. Lulubell walked over, stroking his hair like a doting mother over a sick child, as Road used the candles to bloody her hands slightly more.

"It is time, Lulu" Road called out happily, being careful to keep her voice level under control. Lulubell nodded reluctantly, bringing her palm to Allen's cheek while carefully molding her new form. It took all her concentration; she needed to get every detail right.

Once every detail was modeled to perfection, she looked identical to Allen, scar and all- even with the same silvery eyes.

As she nudged him carefully, his eyes shot open. He did not wear an amused expression, nor a shocked one, only a pure blank stare one as his eyes shone golden. A smirk crept its way along his lips, as he sat up, hair curling, skin darkening as well as stigmata engraving themselves on his forehead. He walked over steadily to where Road stood next to her door with her arms outstretched.

He took her hand gracefully before asking, with a confused look plastered on his face, "Where are we heading?"

Road couldn't help but giggle at his curious expression, so she responded, pointing straight ahead in her dream-realm "You two are going home."

'Allen's' face lit up with happiness at hearing this as he shot off to find home. Road giggled and then turned back into the room to discuss further with Lulubell. Road prowled around the back of Lulubell, - now in Allen's form who was sitting on the bed, looking lost in thought. She ambushed her, tackling her to the ground as Lulubell instantly reacted, causing them both the end up on the other side of the room.

Road couldn't stop laughing, one because of Lulu's reaction, and two, because she was ecstatic that Allen was finally home.

A trademark sadistic smirk adorned Road's lips as she pulled out her bloody candles and looked at Lulubell inquisitively as she asked innocently "You can choose, either you take the form of an already 'tortured' Allen, or I can do that part for you…" She trailed off, stepping closer to the now shuddering Lulubell who was backing away at the same pace with her hands raised in self defense.

She croaked back to the exited, young…no, eldest Noah "I'll just take the form…"she attempted to smile back, but it failed dismally, looking like a un-amused stare. It only took an instant, but the exorcist's clothing she was wearing were now torn and ripped at the seams, as well as having multiple candles sticking out of her back and a broken chain dangling around her foot. Road couldn't help but smile as she saw the crimson liquid dripping to the floor, and pooling around 'Allen'.

"Meet up in the cafeteria, and I'll 'steal' you." Road couldn't help but giggle at what she had just said, it was pure genius, yes, but it sounded kind of…for lack of better description…easy.

Lulubell nodded as she responding with a confident grin "Master Earl says we are the actors, therefore, let us go and mesmerize the 'audience' with this act." Road couldn't help but chuckle at how truthful the Earl's constant metaphorical nonsense had become. She slowly floated disappearing into one of her doors, leaving the rest of the acting to Lulubell.

Lulubell was planning her maneuver, as she carefully spread the crimson liquid over the bed sheets, indicating that 'Allen' had been stabbed while he was asleep. She practiced, attempting to get Allen's voice right, but always was slightly off his chirpy tone. Oh well, not that it mattered anyway, all she'd have to do would be to scream, and not have to talk. She shrugged once more, before beginning her part of the 'play'. 'Allen' screamed, a blood-curdling sound that rang through all the corridors of the Order, waking almost every exorcist and finder as well as the scientist division. 'Allen' grabbed loosely at his door handle, running as fast as 'he' could with the patter of metallic liquid trailing 'him', leaving a path for anyone to follow. 'He' screamed once more, waking anyone who was not already awake, in an attempt to prove that 'Allen' was being kidnapped by making the whole Order witness it.

Linalee awoke to a chilling scream, which echoed down the halls of the Black Order, waking the entire infirmary. She had been out cold since yesterday, for almost two weeks after her encounter with the Noah, and had just awoken yesterday. She was still in the infirmary, because she was 'in no condition to leave' due to the forceful head-nurse, along with her older brother. This time she didn't care, someone in the Order sounded like they were in trouble, and that meant her family was in danger.

She instantly shot out of her bed, running as fast as she could towards where she had heard the sound originate. Fear began to grip her heart, as she realized the path that she was taking was coincidentally close to where Allen's was. Within minutes, she was panting, at Allen's door, eyes wide in horror as she saw the pool of blood in his room, along with the trail leading out and away. Within minutes, other finders as well as the research team stumbled upon the scene, and followed the trail terrified of what they would find. Other exorcists such as Lavi and even Kanda ended up following the trail in horror. Lavi's face showed it, as Kanda only sighed that the stupid moyashi shouldn't wake people up. Everyone was so involved with following the trail, that they missed the slightly panicked expression that crossed the samurai's face when he saw all the blood. It felt like hours of following the winding trail around the Order, whereas in reality it had only been minutes since the scream was heard. Everyone in the group was deathly silent, all forming their own theories and reasons in their head, as well as an idea of what gruesome scene awaited them. Another scream split the silence, this time it was much, much closer as the group realized that if they listened, they could hear the soft splashing of blood washing over cobble-stones. Linalee was the first to realize, they were all headed in the direction of the cafeteria, which didn't surprise her, as she had heard of his magnificent ability to get lost, and the cafeteria seemed to be the only place he could find with relative ease. She saw the entrance of the cafeteria up ahead, along with a figure cloaked in shadows that was emitting the dripping sound, as well as heavy, labored breathing. The group was only a few steps away when time seemed to freeze still. All of a sudden, there was a bright violet light that illuminated the whole cafeteria, as a large, heart-shaped door appeared from seemingly nowhere. The bright, luminous aura revealed the gruesome portrait of a bloody Allen, lying face down on the cold stone. The whole group, finders, scientists and exorcists alike were horrified at the dying Allen, outstretched on the floor as their bodies refused to move. They were all caught in a certain someone's trap.

Lavi cried out in horror, as everyone could now hear what 'Allen' was muttering in a despairing voice "No, please, Road…, I'll do anything, just don't hurt my friends, please…" Linalee could feel more tears flow freely from her glassy eyes, because whatever she had expected, it was not this. As if on cue, a petit figure of a small girl appeared from the doors, holding a large chain that seemed to have been recently attached to something. It was then that the group saw the broken chain that was around 'Allen's' ankles. It had left deep, purple bruises on the tender skin, which looked like it had been broken only recently.

It didn't take long for them to put things together, as Road spoke up, destroying the eerie silence "There you are! I was looking for you, to take you with me! You would make such an excellent doll! I told you before; monsters belong in cages, not out here with regular humans!" In an instant, the chains somehow began hovering and rejoined themselves together, clinking with the locking of iron. Road turned her back, literally dragging 'Allen' out of the room, all the while he was screaming and pleading for someone to help him.

The group was still unable to move, completely frozen, watching the horrible scene play out before their eyes. As soon as the doors closed and vanished completely, everyone was free to move around once again. Almost everyone collapsed, with the exception of Kanda and Lavi, who remained standing, too horrified at what had just happened while they just watched. Many people broke out into sobs, even those who had only met the boy once. Allen seemed to change them, as well as ending up with them looking up to him. He was the only one who treated finders, scientists as well as exorcists equally, disregarding their status and speaking as if they were equals. Kanda was the type of person who, instead of releasing his emotions by crying like the rest of the pathetic group, became enraged.

He slammed his fist down onto the floor in anger before shouting, "Who the hell was that girl?" Linalee was the only one who knew, as she remembered her last encounter all too well.

She managed to mutter to the crowd just loudly enough to be heard by everyone "Noah…"

Allen slowly opened his eyes to reveal a pure white room. He knew exactly where he was, and was overjoyed to finally be back home. To his surprise, he had awoken with Neah still partially in control of his body, and therefore they both currently had equal control of Allen's body. He looked around the room, but as he tried to step out of bed, he felt something large and pudgy underneath his feet. Looking down, it revealed a passed out Earl, who had obviously fallen asleep on the job.

Allen slumped down off his bed, so that he was sitting atop the Earl's large gut. Flicking the Earl in the nose a couple of times gave no response, as a voice in the back of his head told him to simply try to remove the top hat. Allen carefully placed both hands on each side of the top hat, that today was adorned with different sorts of candy.

In one swift motion, he attempted to rip the hat off but to no avail. On closer inspection, Allen realized that the Earl's had instantly grabbed the hat, unwilling to let go, as his eye lids fluttered open. Allen, from his position, still managed to glomp him, tears of joy falling from his cheek. After a few moments, Allen realized how wet his back was getting thanks to The Earl, and he pulled away muttering about having to change shirts now. The Earl chuckled, happy that he had finally returned.

"Allen, we have to ask you about a certain something, but now is not the time, your birthday is coming up! You can wish for anything you want!" he practically yelled in Allen's already over-sensitive ears. Allen's smile twisted as one of his eyes flashed gold and the other silver.

A sadistic smirk spread its way across his lips as his whispered back "I want revenge."

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	30. One more Betrayal, One more Tear

**Author's Note: Sorry for no chapter yesterday, I wasn't feeling the best and a good friend (thatguyuare) offered to post a random filler idea in my place. I want to thank him for that, as well as everyone who reads and reviews. ^^**

Chapter 30

The Order was in despair. Their newest recruit, who had shown immense potential, was just kidnapped in front of their eyes, while they remained powerless. Multiple golems had recorded the event, enabling the doctors and nurses to view just how injured he was, and the news was not good. It had been almost a week since the incident, but the medical staffs were still determining if the young boy would survive, due to blood-loss and internal bruising. Even from the golem's view, it was obvious how broken and hurt the child had been. His ankles were swollen, bruising to a deep purple, and the surrounding flesh turned a hideous, sickly green. The sheer amount of the crimson liquid that had stained the cobble-stone floors that night, still horrified the researchers. They assumed he collapsed in the cafeteria due to blood loss, and because it was the only place he had time to memorize while at the Order.

All of these injuries taken into account, nothing could top the wound dealt to the boy's heart. His eyes, once glimmering with eagerness and the same innocent smile, were completely broken, shattered in all the recordings. They were clouded, dull and almost lifeless as he pleaded to someone named 'Road' to not harm his friends.

Yes, the Order was truly in a depressed state, but no one more so than a certain, blue-haired exorcist. She had taken the sight especially bad, seeing as she had witnessed 'Road's' cruelty firsthand, and now one of her family members, had been kidnapped and was probable being tortured for information….she couldn't have been more wrong.

Allen Walker had spent the last few days relaxing, mainly in his Noah form, and recovering from the awful time he had experienced at the Black Order. He used most of his free time playing games with Road or constantly beating Tyki at poker. For him, it had been almost heaven-on-Earth, especially as soon as he arrived home, the Earl had told him of a special birthday present- which made his smile twist into a sadistic smirk. It was only a week to Christmas, but seeing as the Noah did not celebrate it, it was known only as Allen's birthday…which involved Allen's present which all the Noah were busy preparing for.

It was seven days till Christmas, when Allen was told that his presence was required in the Earl's phone-room. It was odd, to say the least, seeing as usually the only person who would enter the phone room apart from the Earl was Lero...or a very bored Road. Luckily for Allen, the ark was one of the only places in the world where he didn't get lost.

He was prideful about this, and didn't keep it much of a secret to the other Noah, who only sighed at this boasting. Allen trotted along the familiar long hallways of the ark, which was currently based in Edo. He whistled a comforting tune, which reminded him of Mana, and memories of when he first joined the Noah as a boy. It felt like those memories were of a completely different life, compared to the one that he was living now.

He didn't mind this, nor did he find it the slightest bit discomforting. It was his purpose, to save everyone and everything, via destruction. Allen couldn't help but ponder over who was truly in the right, for this war. He would always be with his family, regardless of what side they're on, but he still found himself musing over which side was truly 'good' and which was truly 'evil'. From what he had heard, the Order had done some pretty despicable things, along with their precious Central. One being using similar methods as the Earl does to create Akuma, to create exorcists; another was forcing the bond between humans and the substance. The last thing they did shocked Allen, as he knew he was meant to be the 'bad' guy in this war, but the Order even tried to make humans into half-Akuma.

Allen considered it to be hilarious that the 'good' guys had the more selfish reason to fight. The exorcists fought, not because of something righteous, or something as simple as being 'saviors', but only to save themselves. They didn't go around 'protecting' people; they simply traveled, collecting the hateful innocence, to rip more humans away from their lives to fight in this never-ending war. From what Allen had seen of the Order in his stay, Allen found it extremely ironic, that the 'good' guy's reason for defying The Earl, was the basic instinct of human survival.

Not that this surprised him, it was only natural for humans to be so self-righteous and egotistical, that they hardly realized what they fought for. All they cared about was winning, and from Allen's perspective, he found it utterly disgusting. Sure, the way the Earl created Akuma, may be viewed as 'disgusting', though Allen found it fascinating. Watching the greed and selfishness of each of them, calling back the soul of the one they loved always plastered a wild grin on Allen's face. It was also ironic that the Earl's reason for fighting was more righteous than the 'good' guys.

Allen chuckled slightly, as he musing his thoughts over, while still singing the same, tragic tune that was now softer than an autumn breeze. In a few more steps, he reached the arched pillars of the doorway, looming about his head in an ominous manner. He knocked the door politely, three times before standing back, patiently waiting for a response.

From the other side of the door, only an eerie laughter was heard, as you could actually feel the cold aura that emanated from the sound. Allen pushed open the doors hurriedly, he could easily pick up when The Earl was in distress, and this was more than just worry. The man was overflowing with hatred, apparently directed at a certain red-haired general.

Allen approached wearily, and as soon as The Earl saw it was Allen who was entering, his grimace instantly morphed into a large grin. "What's wrong, Lord Millennium?" Allen asked soothingly, complementing the Earl slightly by using the word 'lord' instead of the term he preferred (Millenie.) The Earl's head perked up slightly, as he appeared to be dragged out of his thoughts as Allen's soft tone sliced through the thick silence.

The earl rubbed his temples, sighing heavily as he did so, he explained "The twins have lost that damn Red-haired general…again. I'm really getting tiered of this…" he trailed off, looking thoughtfully upwards, staring into space, completely zoned out once more.

Allen decided he would defend his brother as he remarked "They're trying their best. I've heard he is a tough one…"

The Earl nodded thoughtfully once more before replying "I know, I know. It's just we've had no progress on thinning down the generals, so I thought that's why you're here. Do you remember that general you saved when you had to get into the Order?" Allen wore a puzzled expression for a moment, before the memory stuck him like lightning.

"Oh! I remember, he was weak if you ask me."

The Earl nodded as his grin seemed to widen as he replied "Yes, I have a short mission for you, before your birthday….You are to kill him, as well as destroy his innocence. Tyki will be accompanying you on your mission, and you'll leave after your dinner tonight." The Earl chuckled once more, as Allen pounced on him, hugging his neck tightly. Allen wasn't completely sure, when or where he had learned this, but he had a feeling it was to do with a certain blue-haired Noah…regardless, it was mandatory now, and he couldn't stop himself from doing it. Clinging desperately to the Earl's overcoat, as the Earl broke into sobs about how he was so happy Allen had returned. Allen attempted to pull away from the embrace, only ending in a tangled mess of limbs, as well as an unhappy Lero on the floor.

The usual crowd was seated around the dining table, except for one, blue-haired girl, all digging into their food greedily, but none more so than Allen. He had consumed what looked to be the entire table of food, about three of four times, judging by the size of the stack of plates he had piled high next to him. Allen had decided to forget to split the sky-high pillar up into three or four stacks, so it rose unchecked into the darkness above the room.

As if an invisible wind blew, what looked like the top of the tower wobbled slightly, earning a worried glance from Tyki, who had been watching the scene unfold. The tower wobbled again and again but not anything nearing enough force to knock it over completely….that was until the twins got into a fight. Tyki watched in horror, as the scene seemed to actually slow down. He saw a single stray bullet, fly from Devit's gun, sailing through the air and coursing directly through the very bottom plate, supporting the sky-high tower of crockery.

Tyki was relieved to see the massive pile swing the way of the twins, as he wore an amused grin watching the tower collapse onto his family members. Being the Noah of Pleasure and all, none of the broken shards of plates hit him, but instead, just sailed through knocking his chair and the ground uselessly.

The earl couldn't help but chuckle at watching the tower collapse. Even though he was now covered in hand-made china, he couldn't help but let the laughter escape his lips, as the rest of the family present joined in.

Allen was left, rubbing his head sheepishly after half-heartedly apologizing for the incident.

Allen and Tyki left side by side, hours later after an intense interrogation by Allen, of where Road was. He was persistent to say the least, and Tyki wasn't feeling 100% thanks to Allen's little thievery of his cigarettes. He sill grimaced at the thought, as he was luckily to find replacements soon after. Using the ark, it took almost no time at all to find where the general was camped.

Allen called the Akuma he had been given, using them to distract the general, and draw him away from the pesky finders (otherwise known as "Free Exp!") as well as those damn golems. It didn't take long for the general to become completely isolated from his finders, as well as the golems. Tyki took this opportunity to quickly dispose of them, only leaving muffled screams for the golems to hear.

Allen however was busy with the general. He was in a tight spot, up against about 8 level threes. Allen sat in a tree, similar to the last time they met, observing the fight, trying to decide if he should intervene.

After watching for almost 10 minutes, and the fight going neither way, Allen being well…Allen got bored, and decided to have some fun.

It took no effort at all, and with one call of 'cross grave', every level three exploded into sinking gas.

The General looked at the boy he remembered from all that time ago. The boy hadn't changed a bit, only now he looked slightly more frustrated. The old general really owed the kid, so he slowly walked up to the kid to thank him.

Allen frowned, the general was approaching him, as he could feel the burn of the innocence as it came closer. Allen sighed, this was his only chance. Still with his innocence invocated, the old general patted Allen on the back while smiling kindly.

Allen honestly didn't know why a single tear rolled down his cheek, as his sharp claw made contact with flesh, impaling the older man. His eyes were no long kind, soothing orbs and were now filled with horror….and betrayal? Allen deactivated his innocence, seeing Tyki approaching slowly. Tyki put one hand to Allen's cheek, plucking the single tear that had escaped moments earlier.

Tyki's sympathetic smile turned into a maniac grin as he gazed at the general. Pulling out his tease and looking at the general greedily he muttered "…You know what would be ironic?"

Once the acts were committed, Allen could only stare at the semi-lifeless man who was now bound to a tree with his own innocence. Allen smiled glumly as it was now his turn to destroy it, as well as all the other innocence the General carried. Finding them was no problem, as he grabbed them all at once as well as disintegrating one of the chains, into the small, green, glowing, fragment.

"Hey Tyki.." Allen inquired curiously "What would happen if I destroyed this stuff with my left hand?" Tyki had never looked so dumbstruck in his life, though he quickly recovered his gentleman-like posture and simply shrugged.

Allen grinned at the thought of something interesting happening, and grasped all the innocence tightly with his left hand. A bright light exploded from within his fingers, and died as quickly as it had appeared. What Allen saw next left his mouth agape, all the innocence fragments were gone.

Not destroyed and turned to dust, but he could feel them all…as if they were a part of him.

Page 2 of 2


	31. Chapter 31  Yin & Yang

**Author's Note: A special thanks to Thatguyuare with help on this chapter. As always thank you for the reviews, and I hope you enjoy the read.**

Chapter 31

Allen slowly unclenched his trembling fingers, revealing only his cursed left hand. The blackened flesh seemed to mock him, relishing his suffering as he attempted to comprehend what had just happened. Have I just _absorbed_ all of that innocence? His left arm almost felt stronger, more powerful, while Neah was writhing in pain, screaming out in his mind. Tyki looked equally shocked, open-mouthed, with an expression on his face that not many ever see. Allen grabbed a container of water from inside his coat, uncapped it and poured it into a small orifice in the road. Within a few seconds, the water and mud had settled, and Allen activated both of his eyes.

To his horror, the soul of Allen Walker grown in size, its innocence-chained body now more looming, more imposing. At the same time, Neah's soul had actually been _reduced_ in size, it seemed to be slightly less awe-inspiring, less menacing. Tyki leaned over Allen's shoulder, and at his request Allen projected the power of his eyes so that Tyki could also see what had happened. The moment he saw it, he stumbled backwards, turning away.

"T-Tyki, have you ever seen anything like this before?" Allen stammered, still partially in shock.

"No… it is an abomination unknown to us. I would recommend seeking out the Earl, he will most likely hold an answer."

At this, Allen summoned the gate back into the ark and they hurried back to the mansion.

Arriving home, Tyki ran off to find the other Noah and tell them about the horrendous incident while Allen sought out the Millennium Earl in the hope that he might be able to shed some light on his predicament. As he was searching, he noticed that the searing pain Neah had experienced earlier had receded to a dull throbbing, but it was still akin to being constantly subjected to one of Road's extra-enthusiastic hugs. As he expected, Allen found the Earl in the telephone room, speaking quickly and loudly to about seven different people at the same time. When the Earl saw the look on Allen's face, he hung up on every single caller, stood up from his rocking chair and embraced him. Allen relished the enveloping hug, before extracting himself and addressing the Earl seriously.

"Lord Millennium, while my mission was a complete success, the destruction of the innocence did not go as planned, and I have a few questions to ask you." The Earl nodded his approval, so Allen continued.

"We gained several pieces of innocence from the general, and as a sort of experiment, I decided to try and destroy it with my left hand. Everything proceeded as normal, except when I opened my hand again, there was no dust, no residue, nothing!"

At this, the Earl frowned, he had never heard of such a thing happening.

"But that's not all," Allen continued, "When I activated both of my eyes, it seemed that Neah had shrunk while my soul which is chained by innocence had grown larger!"

This time, the Earl literally fell out of his chair, eyes wide with shock. For the first time in his many years of knowing the Earl, his enormous grin was the smallest it had ever been. Recomposing himself, the Earl pulled himself back up and gave his opinion.

"How could this happen? I've never seen anything like it… I think… I think your arm may have _abosrbed_ the innocence, much like how Akuma have the ability to cannibalize each other…"

After several minutes of silence between them, in which both were in deep though, the Earl put forward an interesting theory:

"What if… What if you could not only absorb innocence, but also _Akuma_?"

After some thought, Allen realized that the Earl was probably right, thanked the Earl for all of his assistance, and headed off to the room where many Akuma were kept for training purposes.

A few minutes later, Allen arrived in a grimy hall made out of cobblestone smeared with the blood of trainees that was swarming with Akuma of all levels. He picked a few level ones who sped over to him. They floated there, reverently, waiting for a command from their Noah master. All Allen said was

"_**Do not resist."**_

The Akuma acknowledged this, and Allen knew that they would not resist, even if he tortured them. That said, the souls were already in immense pain, and when the Akuma are destroyed, the souls go into the afterlife peacefully. However, if they are self-destructed, usually only possible if commanded to by a Noah, the souls are damned to wander the earth for eternity, they can never move on to the afterlife.

Allen had no idea how he was going to do this, but he needed to see if he could absorb Akuma. His first attempt was to destroy a couple, collect up the dust that remained, and try to merge it with himself. Allen held the dust in his cupped hands, waiting to see if anything out of the ordinary occurred. He waited many minutes, but he just felt the usual sense of dread when touching an Akuma.

Then he tried destroying a few using his innocence, which failed; the Akuma just disappeared in an explosion of white light, there wasn't even any dust. Next, he attempted to destroy it with his Noah power; he hummed a few notes and several Akuma seemed to split open, revealing the cursed soul inside, which then rose up and faded out. That hadn't worked either, so he sat down out of despair.

He rested there for what only seemed like a few minutes, but he knew if was more like a few hours. And then, all of a sudden, he seemed to know how to absorb them. Allen stood up with purpose and took a few steps over to an Akuma who was floating there, motionless, as commanded by him. Allen raised his ashen right arm to the Akuma's side, smiling gently.

Five charcoal fingers rested them on the side on the Akuma, not destroying it, however. Then, in his mind, he started a humming a new, alien melody. He had never thought nor uttered it before, and yet, it seemed so familiar. While he was doing this, words seemed to flow from his mouth without him uttering a single word. Allen Walker's lips had a life of their own, they were speaking. This is what they said:

"Pitiful Akuma, allow me to bring salvation to your soul. Give up your life on this mortal earth and rest in eternal peace."

By the time Allen had finished his incantation, he found tears flowing freely from his eyes, streaming down his face. From his right eye, tears, and from his left, blood. The Akuma did not resist, it almost went gladly. Instead of exploding, this Akuma seemed to get sucked into the palm of Allen Walker's right arm, machine, soul and all.

It was a strange, almost comforting sensation, the feeling of dark matter coursing through his veins. Where the Akuma was, there was only empty space.

Inside Allen, however, he could feel his Noah growing in power, returning to its former glory. Amazed, Allen hastily found a bathroom and filled a sink with water.

He activated both eyes, peering into it. Both of his souls had, to his relief, returned to their normal sizes.

Over the next few hours, he experimented with his new power, testing it, trying it on for size. He found that for every Akuma he absorbed, Neah grew slightly in power. He could also, with some difficulty, even absorb level fours.

This equated in his Noah form being amazingly strong. In fact, if he absorbed enough level fours and level threes, his Noah became almost as powerful as the Millennium Earl. The only drawback of it, however, was that it was impossible to contain his Noah form while that powerful.

He couldn't go into his 'white' form, and it was impossible to be 'Allen'. He could only ever be Neah with so much dark matter inside of him. Not only that, but Allen that realized he was able to 'release' the souls of Akuma, letting them travel into the afterlife. They were not able to be 'reformed' into actual machines. He also found that the amount of innocence and dark matter inside of him correlated. If he was incredibly powerful by 'overdosing' on dark matter, his innocence would be subdued, unable to even be activated. If Allen released all of the Akuma souls, his innocence would return to normal levels. Allen quickly informed the Earl of this discovery, who seemed very happy indeed. So happy, in fact, that he threw yet another of his famous dinner parties in Allen's honor.

Every single Noah was present at the magnificent feast, each one ecstatic about the recent discovery of Allen's newfound power. It was only a few hours after this that Allen actually realized the true implications of this.

Wherever there were Akuma, Allen could become amazingly strong. Personally, Allen preferred it when his Noah side became powerful, not only did it feel much more natural, but Akuma were in ready supply and could be consumed in great numbers, while innocence was rare and there was almost always a squabble with that annoying Black Order over it. The feast began to a chorus of claps and cheers from Allen's family, all congratulating him. Everyone was present, Skinn, Lulubell, The Twins, Tyki, Sheryl, The Earl, each and every one of the other Noah and, of course, Road.

The spiky blue hair just poked up over the veritable wall of dishes that Allen had created, and they are some pretty serious spikes! The twins, as usual, got themselves into a bit of a mess with a very extravagant food fight. The rest of the family just sat and watched the _very_ entertaining show. Whole chickens flew to and fro, cakes whizzed past every one's noses, and the Earl even copped one in the face!

Not that Allen could care, but several very large, whole turkeys that were lobbed across the table somehow ended up landing in his mouth. He didn't seem to notice. Once the twins had had their fun, the family sat and watched, mouths agape, for the next few hours while they waited politely for the monster named 'Allen' to finish his dinner. The pile of crockery next to him was enough to occupy the several hundred chefs working 24/7 for several hundred days.

The next few days passed without incident, Allen's birthday drawing nearer and nearer. The rest of the family was scrambling to find birthday presents for him while Allen was sitting in Road's room, playing away the days with her. Hardly anyone knew what to get Allen, but Road had it all figured out. She planned to tell the other Noah in a couple of days, just before his birthday.

The next few days seemed not to even exist to Allen, they passed so quickly. Before he knew it, it was the eve before his birthday, and as he was taking a peaceful stroll around the mansion, exploring the endless corridors and many, many rooms, he was ambushed by his own family! Road pounced on him, and before he could even say hello to her, he was blindfolded with a thick black cloth through which he hadn't a chance of seeing. He could hear the voices and footsteps of every Noah, and even though they were whispering, he could still hear them talking about his birthday perfectly.

"How do you think he's going to like it?"

"Don't worry, he'll love it!"

After about five minutes of walking, Allen heard the distinctive sound of those familiar, heart-shaped doors rising up out of the ground. He heard them creak open as he was pulled through by many grasping hands. As he stepped through the thousands of dimensions, a large, sadistic grin spread across Allen Walker's face.


	32. Chapter 32  Birthday Presents

Chapter 32

As soon as his boot touched down on the soft, luscious grass, he instantly recognized the low drone of the oh so familiar, forest that surrounded him. He could hear the voices of his family, muttering under their breath about his present, as Allen instantly realized what it was. He could not avoid the sadistic smirk that crept along his lips as he breathed "I'm home…" The smirk soon twisted into a manic grin, stretching from ear to ear, as only one thought echoed through his mind. This was truly going to be the best birthday present, ever.

Road was ecstatic to say the least. She was overjoyed when her brothers and sisters agreed once combining their presents, (which most hadn't bought yet) to get Allen the 'sweetest' thing he could ever want according to Skin. The task was more difficult than originally planned, especially in making sure that all the townsfolk that were present almost 8 years ago, were now in the town for varying reasons.

There was one single problem, a child that Allen had met long ago could not be found in any records. The Noah eventually gave up in their frivolous search, but Road was still disappointed that they got to live. She shook it off, focusing on the events unfolding; she dragged Allen by his coat towards the town with the other Noah trailing behind. Everything was perfect, the town hall was clear as they had arranged and the streets were devoid of life.

Allen trotted slowly, licking his lips in anticipation of the event he had waited almost half his life for. His footsteps echoed the loudest, upon the hard, stone floor as they reached the wooden doors of the town hall. Road pushed them open eagerly, revealing a brightly set up hall.

Taking Allen to the front of the hall and plopping him on the only chair, Road eagerly made short work of the blind-fold, which now ripped up in such small pieces it may be mistaken for dust. Allen peeled his eyes open to witness a brilliantly decorated hall, with banners and even a whole corner filled with small presents. Allen broke out into a genuine smile, truly grateful at the effort his family had put in. The rest of the family stood behind Allen, watching gleefully the heartwarming expression on his face.

Many of the Noah were finding it difficult to not let the 'aww' escape their lips for fear of their manliness. All were succeeding except for one, unlucky Jasdero when what Allen supposed what meant to be an 'aw' escaped his lips, but in truth, it sounded more like dying giraffe. This earned Jasdero a clobbering from Devit's gun as well as many earnest laughs from the family. Allen couldn't help but join in, watching Jasdero smile awkwardly.

Allen enjoyed the company, chatting away with his family for the next few minutes, before a hurriedly looking Earl arrived, sweating profoundly. Stealthily, The Earl approached the pile, hiding his small, wrapped gift under an enormous, poorly wrapped, present. Allen was sharp, and noticed of course, drawing attention to him.

The Earl smiled nervously, as Allen decided it was time to open the presents. Allen showed his childish persona, but of course, grabbing the largest present he could find.

It was almost as big as Allen himself, and was poorly wrapped. In fact, it looked almost like someone hadn't actually wrapped it, only used ropes to tie around the edges of the wrapping paper. Allen couldn't help but chuckle, when he saw the illegible scrawl on the back of a candy wrapper, he smiled and thanked Skin (who looked incredibly jealous at how much candy Allen now had, even though it was his own present)

Allen grabbed randomly at the pile, which had shrunk to half its original size from the removal of Skin's present. Ripping the wrapping open eagerly, several tightly packed clothes fell out. The first was a vest with a furry collar, with loose edges. Some black boots, also with a furry rim as well as…makeup? Tight, leather pants also fell out, with strapping on one side, as well as a golden handgun. Allen knew instantly who this present was from, seeing as if he wore the present, he would look like an exact replica of both Jasdero and Devit.

Allen then realized there was one thing he missed, as he pulled what looked like a long white string from the pile. After about three minutes of pulling, he realized the large tangle he was now encased in. Jasdero and Devit ran up, grabbing each end and tying it efficiently around their brother's forehead.

Allen wore a dumbfounded expression, not 100% sure if he should ask what was going on. Once the twins had finished their handy work, Road passed Allen a mirror while giggling. Sure, he could feel the bandage on his face, but he wasn't expecting it to look like this…It looked like he was actually wearing a ninja-mask made out of bandages, as the twins grinned, proud of their work.

"Um…what?" Is all Allen could manage to stutter, still clueless about the whole bandage thing.

"We got these for you, because your old clothes aren't stylish enough. The bandage is because we had a spare one after I finished with Jas, and decided because of your last mission, seeing as you were like a ninja and all, that you'd look cool with a ninja mask."Devit announced, gesturing to Jasdero's arms wrapped completely in bandages. The twins grinned as Allen's face fell.

He couldn't help but burst out laughing, then asked "Well, I think I'd be more of a spy than ninja…anyway thanks but with this on I can't…eat." With that, the whole family heard the dreaded sound of Allen's stomach growl from being ignored.

The twins collapsed on the floor laughing as the rest couldn't help but giggle slightly. Allen slowly unwrapped the bandage, with much difficultly. Not because of the twins skillful masterpiece, because in many places the bandage seemed to have just been shoved without much thought, creating horrible knots. An agonizingly slow 5 minutes passed, to reveal a very red faced Allen, almost purple from the suffocation. The twins stalked off, claiming that their present was still by far the best, and Allen tried to thank them for the clothing.

The next present he grabbed was among the smallest of the pile, and Allen started to worry as he picked it up and it compacted under the pressure. Allen pulled off the elegant wrapping along with the bowtie to reveal….what looked like a packet of…catnip? Allen couldn't help but raise an eyebrow questioningly at Lulu, who in turn licked her lips in her cat form.

The rest of the family almost died in a laughing fit as Lulubell was the only one who stayed serious, with the same hungry expression on her face. Allen personally found this hilarious, pouring the catnip from his present into a bowl for Lulu before turning back to the presents.

Allen chuckled as he grabbed for the nearest present. This one was small, barely the size of his palm and it had a rectangular shape. Allen unfolded the wrapping carefully to reveal a deck of playing cards, colored extravagantly. Allen bowed and thanked Tyki for the gift, as Tyki only smirked muttering something about never loosing again. Allen was suspicious of the cards, but tucked them into his shirt pocket regardless.

There were only a few more gifts laid out now, as Allen grabbed the last remaining one that was larger than his hand. He immediately felt a liquid inside, and proceeded to open it with care. Allen was curious as to not only, what the bright-blue glowing substance was, but to also who gave it to him. He gazed at the crowd swiftly and was rewarded with an answer.

In the corner of the crowd, he could see Sheryl smirking in an all-knowing way, as Allen realized touching this substance would not end very well for him. Allen muttered a thank you as he overheard Sheryl also muttering about the octopus never touching his sweet, precious daughter again. Allen forced a smile back at the over-protective father and went to open the last gift.

It was small, compared to the others and fairly light. Allen unwrapped it carefully to reveal a small music box. Allen wound it up slowly as it began to play enchanting, tragic music. Allen knew it was just the music, but words formed in his head and sung along with the tune, completing the melody.

_Taiyou wo ushinatte boku wa, tsuki no ai kao sagasu_

_Hikato yami ga hitotsu ninaru_

_Owari no hajimari ha, touchaku shiteiru_

Allen translated the Japanese in his head, and muttered softly "Having lost sight of the sun, I search for the moon. Light and Darkness become one…the beginning of the end has arrived." The family looked at Allen questioningly as the earl simply smiled, glad he could understand the meaning.

Allen's sorrowful expression slowly turned into a malicious smirk as he asked calmly "Sheryl, for this I'm going to need your help, can you use your powers and bring everyone in town here?" He nodded enthusiastically, even though that octopus had his tentacles over his precious Road, he was still a part of the family who Sheryl considered to be like his own son.

Sheryl had to concentrate for this; the range of the whole village would use up a lot more energy than usual so he clamped both eyes shut, and lifted his hands, feeling the familiar sensation of humans following his will.

"Jasdevi, could you please materialize a hooded cloak for me, as well as a box of things to 'play' with the humans with?" Jasdero and Devit both chuckled simultaneously then closed their eyes.

Suddenly, out of seemingly nowhere, a long, hooded cloak materialized, covering Allen's facial features as well as his hair. From behind there was a large crash, as the box of 'goodies' fell onto the floor. Even the Noah shuddered at Allen's smirk.

They could all feel the cold, ominous aura he was emitting, so filled with hatred it chilled even the earl slightly. He chuckled, before excusing himself saying he could not participate in the fun. Allen nodded, as he felt a small hand on his shoulder.

"Happy birthday Allen." Road said with a bright smile, as Allen looked at her once more, ruffling her hair with his gloved hand. He nodded slowly, turning back to face the doors as he could hear a chorus of footsteps. The rest of the family was digging around in the box, pulling out all sorts of extravagant weapons.

The footsteps grew louder as Allen counted down the seconds silently to himself.

3…

2…

1…

The door was burst open by a villager, as the sudden wind blew out all the candles that had previously illuminated the room. The first was a woman, around her mid thirties who looked terrified that her body was acting on its own. The scene she walked in on however, made her very blood run cold.

The only visible figure was someone in a long hooded cloak, that covered his body and most of his face. Pale moonlight shone through the roof, illuminating the surface of the cloak as well as a few strands of white hair that hung loosely in front of the hood. They curled at the ends, and added together with the shadows creeping on and around its body, made it look like a figure from a horrifying nightmare.

She tried to run, to scream, to panic, anything; but she was frozen unable to make the slightest sound or movement. It was not long until she heard marching behind her, and was crying on the inside out of pure fear. She was surrounded in a matter of seconds with other villagers with the same look of horror plastered on their faces.

They too were not moving in the slightest, or talking. There was now a large crowd, all staring up at the monster looking down on them. Every single one of them would have screamed in terror at what happened next, if they were able to. The figure…it lifted its head that was previously masked in shadows to reveal a sadistic smirk that spread from ear to ear.

To the crowd's horror, it started walking towards the crowd, its echoing footsteps making the villagers almost suffocate from the tense atmosphere. Without warning, the figure pointed at a man wearing priest robes, who was on the outer edge of the crowd.

The man began pacing forward slowly, as if he wasn't the one controlling his movement. The priest tried to scream, he tried to tell his body to run, to escape, but nothing was working, it kept moving towards a dark corner of the hall. The only evidence of the priest's hopeless efforts was the sweat that laced his brow.

The figure's arm trailed this time, to a man who looked to be in his mid forties. He had mahogany, shoulder length unkempt hair, and a severe hunch. Only the figure and another silent one recognized who this man was, and both of them were enjoying seeing him suffer. He trudged slowly to the corner of the room with the priest, trying desperately to resist whatever was possessing his body. It was futile, and in no time he ended up standing side by side with the man, watching in horror at what the figure did next.

His arm slowly hovered over one more villager, who was again in his mid forties. He was the mayor of the town, the leader of all their activities, and someone that the figure recognized only too well. The last hostage found his body moving towards the corner, as he sweat dropped in fear. What he witnessed next, made his blood freeze and his heart stop.

The figure slowly but steadily was rolling up its left sleeve, as well as removing the glove that covered it. The crowd watched in horror, as the blackened arm with the cross was revealed, bringing back memories of years ago.

A soft, almost childish voice split the silence "Remember me?" the figure asked, then began to cackle softly. The hood slipped from his face, uncovering curled white hair that shone in the moonlight, along with skin that looked to be a darker color than the shadows themselves. The townsfolk could swear that along the boy's forehead there were several crosses engraved and they seemed to glow, even though they looked to be darker than black.

His grin seemed inhumanly large as his golden eyes danced with madness. What he said next terrified every villager, but also surprised them at how much malevolence there was in the teen's voice "the three in the back are not to die yet…the rest however, take your pick…."

With that, what seemed like the shadows themselves jumped from the walls, attacking the villagers at random. There was a woman's scream, which made the rest of the villagers realize they now had control over their voice. Most were screaming in panic, but some were yelling curses at the demon-child.

Allen couldn't help but laugh even harder, especially at the expressions the villagers were wearing. He was enjoying this, so much; it began to satisfy his bloodlust. He walked over to one of the villagers; he recalled who had assisted in beating Allen all that time ago.

Allen began to hum; the Noah covered their ears, knowing the result of this 'song'. Tyki sat with Allen's prisoners, covering their ears so they would not die just yet.

The man watched in horror as the demon child walked up to him, still with that insane smile firmly in place. He tried to shout, tried to call for help, but none came. In a matter of seconds, the demon child was standing directly in front on him, blocking his view. He thought the chorus of screams from the others would block out all sound, alas he was terribly wrong.

It started as a low note that caused all the nearby villagers to stare at him once more. Soon, it turned into a simple tune, but everyone who heard it felt strange. The metallic crimson liquid slowly filled their mouths, unable to open their mouths or swallow thanks to Sheryl's power.

They all started choking, drowning on their own blood. Allen's smirk widened as the tune quickened its pace, as now everyone who heard it, their whole body seemed to vibrate. They all dropped dead in an instant as the crimson liquid pooled around Allen's feet. His smirk was still in place as he reached down and dipped his finger into the warm, puddle. He licked the tip of his finger, savoring the metallic taste as his lips curled in disgust.

"Ugh, these humans taste disgusting…" he remarked, and even through the screams, the other Noah heard him.

"I know, this is depressing, especially as I ruined my new dress for this!" Road announced with a pout, appearing behind Allen, who chuckled, and continued with the killing spree.

Not even 10 minutes later, and the pool of crimson now filled the entire room, lapping at the occupant's ankles. Allen grinned, gesturing for his beloved family to follow him, along with his prisoners.

The walk did not take long, and in no time, they were outside the church as Allen grinned maliciously. "Let's see if your god can save you." Allen spat directly at the priest, before ordering Jasdevi to bring him the box. Allen smirked when he found what he was looking for, pulling out six wooden stakes, along with six large planks of wood, as well as some rope.

Working quickly and efficiently, he bound each piece of wood to another, forming three large crosses. In no time, he propped all three upright, and smirked while gesturing to the prisoners. All the Noah assisted in propping each prisoner to the cross, then nailing their hands through with the wooden stakes.

"I'm going to make them a message…you guys can have those two…let me have this one…" he snarled, turning to face his father. Road followed Allen, she knew she would help him with what he was planning.

He activated his innocence, and with his sharpest claw, he began carving a message into the chests of the prisoners. Once his work was complete, Road grabbed his hand, then touched his 'father' gently on the forehead, manipulating his memories.

Both Allen and Road watched as his 'father' sat by Allen's mother's bed, watching her die. The scene replayed, over and over as the man's screams grew louder each time. Allen was enjoying this, seeing his father suffer almost as much as he had to through his 'childhood'.

"Road…I don't want him to die, he doesn't deserve the peace of death…" Road stroked her chin thoughtfully, when an idea struck her.

"Okay!" she replied giddily, as she focused back on the man, who was still crying over the memory. Amethyst light glowed from Road's hands, then burst forward towards the sobbing figure. As soon as the beams hit him, his moving form stiffened, and stopped moving.

He froze, slowly shuddering and curling up until all traits of his humanity were gone. Allen could see clearly, his eye revealed his 'father's' soul, chained to what looked like a doll. The seemingly lifeless doll just sat there, with glazed orbs for eyes as Road giggled.

The dreamscape collapsed to reveal the other two prisoners being horribly tortured by other members of his family. Allen couldn't help but chuckle, even if he wasn't the one killing them, it still felt good to watch them suffer.

"Your father, he is a doll. A living doll, as his soul is trapped there, watching that scene over and over.…for eternity." Road's voice interrupted his musings, as Allen turned to face the spiky haired girl with a smirk plastered on his face.

"Thank you." He breathed, as she pulled him into an embrace. She released him just as quickly, but to Allen it lasted more than long enough. He turned to watch the last two prisoners, as he decided it was time. He grinned once more at the barely breathing priest, as well as the mayor.

Allen pulled out one of Road's candles, lighting the town behind him on fire. Every single building, every field, every lifeless corpse, everything - except for the forest that had once saved him.

Allen watched, satisfied, as the fire tore its way through, reducing all the once-elegant buildings to smoldering ashes. He looked once more at his prisoners; only one was alive now.

Allen walked up slowly, grabbing one of Tyki's tease and letting it flutter to the prisoner's shoulder. Tyki joined Allen, patting him on the back, before using his ability to plunge the tease into the prisoner's heart. Allen chuckled as he coughed up blood, his life seeping away in the form of the metallic, crimson liquid.

Allen and the rest of the Noah left as soon as the crimson dawn shone the first rays of sun on the once thriving town. T

hey exited through the ark's portal, but not before Allen whispered "Happy…birthday."


	33. Chapter 33  The Only Survivor

Chapter 33

"Linalee's getting married."

Komui burst out from a mountain for scattered papers on what used to be a desk. He desperately clung to his younger sibling's coat, while flooding the room with tears. "No my precious, sweet, Linalee! You can't possibly be getting married!" After minutes of countless attempts to get the supervisor to calm down, it ended with Lavi's hammer and an egg on the supervisor's head. He sat down on the pile of papers as Reever handed him a file with a grim expression.

"Read this, and once you've finished, someone is here to talk to you about the incident."

Komui nodded, noticing the tension in the younger man's voice, and decided he should at least be serious and actually read the file.

20 minutes later, and Komui was gaping in horror. Reever was back to carrying papers around the office, when he called out that someone had arrived to speak with the supervisor.

Komui, stood up seriously, still wearing a grim expression and wandered over to the other room where he found an annoyed Reever along with a young-looking male finder.

Reveer gestured to the empty seat, as Komui took his seat trying to retain as much dignity as possible.

Reveer spoke up first "This is a finder that joined the order not long ago. He grew up in the town and can tell us about it."

Komui gazed at the young finder, who looked to be no older than 15. The boy nodded solemnly then spoke up "It is true, I grew up in Bukott Angyal, but why do you need to talk to me?"

Komui shook his head slowly, the finder obviously hadn't heard about what happened just 2 days ago on Christmas Day.

"I'll explain to you after. Firstly, I want to know, did any strange phenomena occur when you lived in the town?"

Komui asked desperately, he wasn't sure what he was looking for, but if there was innocence, this may have all been the work of Akuma.

The boy stroked his chin thoughtfully, mumbling to himself before he seemed to remember something.

"Not really, but there is one thing that was 'different' about the town. This happened when I was young, so at the time I didn't know anything. My parents then explained everything to me later, and this is the only thing that is worth mentioning about the town…"

Komui leaned in, clearly spellbound, as the boy's low, calming tone echoed the room once more "This is the so called 'fairy tale' of the Demon Child.

As you probably know, the town was full of superstitious people, who were generally nice, but slightly gullible and often jumped to conclusions about simple things, such as low harvest and drought. 15 years ago, a child was born. His mother died shortly after giving birth, leaving the child at the mercy of his father. The child was apparently born with a deformed left arm that glowed green near its fingertips.

The whole town, including myself at the time hated the child for being different, and all the misfortunes of the town were blamed upon him. The boy's own father hated him, but not for having his arm, no, it was because the child reminded him of his wife. He blamed his son for her death, as the boy would often be exiled from his own home. On occasion he would turn up in the town's alleys half dead with horrendous wounds. None of the villagers ever lifted a finger to help him, only silently wishing he would disappear so their good fortune would return.

This silence slowly faded as the townsfolk would shout at him, curse him and throw things at him every time he would appear. Every time the child would return to the town his wounds were more serious, on many occasions; he was too injured and too starved to even walk."

Komui couldn't help letting his mouth hang wide open…he, he couldn't be talking about Allen could he? Deformed left arm…

"I was only young at the time, believing what my parents told me about the boy, I hated him as much as everyone else. The first time I ever met him, he was behind the church.

It was Christmas day, and I was trying to find my parents when I stumbled across the boy, bent over on the ground weeping as I saw older children from my school. I noticed immediately that the people I knew were not actually hurting the demon child, but instead they had what looked like a small dog in their grasp.

I could only watch as the scene unfolded in front of me. I remember this precisely, even now, and I watched as the Demon child, who was now being held completely still, shouted at his captors

"Stop…it's my birthday, please don't hurt Angel! She's my only friend!" The other boys kicked the puppy around, as well as beat it with sticks, until it was so bruised and bloody that you could barely see its chest rise and fall.

The leader of the group walked up to the captive and spat "This is even better than hurting you! I've never seen you show emotions; you never laugh or smile."

The boy's cheeks were soaked in tears, his eyes were wide in horror as the dog's breathing stopped.

"Aw, it's dead already, what a shame."

The demon-child on the ground screamed in agony as he watched the puppy stop breathing, then lie lifeless on the snow, now stained crimson. The other boys released him, as he collapsed; clutching the lifeless corpse as if it were his lifeline.

The others sniggered and stalked off, shouting about how stupid the name 'Angel' was for a dog. I was frozen, watching the figure shudder in the snow. I tried to turn around and leave, but not before I heard a deep despairing voice.

"Why…Why did this happen?" I realized he was talking to me, and I shivered trying to step away.

"This…this shouldn't have happened…Angels aren't meant to fall." I was bewildered by what he had said, but the voice….at first it was high pitched and childish, but what he said last was replaced by a different, deeper voice. It terrified me, so I sprinted off to find my parents, trying desperately to forget what I had just witnessed."

Komui's mouth was now open so wide it could fit in at least a small child. He was too speechless to even try to stutter a response.

The finder nodded once more, then continued "Years passed since that encounter, and the Demon child persisted in returning to the town he called home. Every time, the injuries would get worse, and he would suffer greatly from the cold.

It appeared that he only had one set of clothes, and no shoes. He always wore the same, torn rags, never having a spare one to even cover his arm.

Despite all this, the cold didn't seem to affect him, as he looked as emotionless as ever when the villagers cursed him and threw things.

I was seven at the time, as the town gathered in the town hall for a regular meeting. My parents brought me along as a treat, but I had a bad feeling about everything that night. The meeting was regular, but I overheard something about the villagers ridding themselves of a burden, the next time they had the chance. I knew what they meant, but was too scared to speak up.

Everyone exited the town hall, only to find that same child limping horribly down the street, which was not uncommon, but the thing that stood out was the bright trail of crimson left in the snow from where he'd come from.

He was clutching his left arm, with a horrified look on his face, as the villagers pulled out whatever weapons they were carrying and gave chase to the now sprinting child. I followed, even though my parents told me not to, and I found them, beating the kid with whatever weapons they were carrying.

I was terrified so I hid, but was unable to stop watching the gruesome scene. Some had sticks, others had clubs, the priest of the town had a metal cross, now soaked in the child's blood. The leader of the brigade shouted, after what seemed like hours, that the kid should be burned. The priest interrupted and replied that he should be crucified. All the townspeople agreed, as long as the kid ended up dead.

A man spoke up, authority obvious in his voice, asking for the child to be part of the 'Freak Show' of his traveling circus. The crowd reluctantly agreed and tied the unconscious child up, dragging him back to the town.

The next day, I begged to go to the circus to see him. I didn't know why, but I had to see him one last time. Once we reached the cages, I saw his wide, fearful eyes looking around.

Other children from my class as well as the ones that had killed the Demon's pet, started yelling curses, and insulting him. I don't know what happened, but the wide, fearful eyes broke. They swirled in malevolence and hatred at the crowd, as I stepped forward, desperate to help him.

He smirked at me, before reaching through the cage and grabbing my collar, pulling me to his eye level. 'Scared?' he asked me, and it wasn't until seconds later I realized I was crying.

Not out of fear, but out of compassion, as I finally saw that the 'demon' child was just a regular human. I saw all his pain, deep within his misty gray eyes, which had been covered by his current state.

What he said next still echoes through my brain, even now 'Must be nice…To have a family, a house, siblings, food…I hope you enjoy your life…' with that he released me, letting my small frame slump to the ground and my parents panicked around me.

I could see the agony the boy was going through, so I stood, ignoring the angry cries from my family and the crowd, I stood and offered my right hand to him.

He eyed me suspiciously as I explained, "My name is Finn, what's yours?"

He took my hand, shaking it slowly and cautiously, and then replied, "I guess my name is Allen."

My parents instantly pulled me back as they began fussing over what I had just done, and that shaking hands with a 'demon' child was unacceptable.

To all this, I simply replied "His name is Allen."

From then on I couldn't stop thinking about him, I always wanted to meet him again. That's why I joined the Order and enlisted as a finder, so that I could one day meet him again."

Komui looked down at the ground, still trying to swallow all this information about Allen. Komui would have never guessed that Allen had such a tragic past, he always seemed so cheery and happy, that it seemed impossible. Komui sighed, then turned back to the finder, now known as Finn.

"Finn… Bukott Angyal no longer exists. It was wiped clean from the face of the earth, as only ashes now remain…"

Komui tried to explain, his voice faltering as he again attempted to swallow the lump in his throat. He saw the horrified expression the young finder was wearing, but didn't know how to help.

The finder turned back up to face Komui, tears streaming down his face he yelled "Are you telling me my whole family is dead!"

Komui nodded his head slowly before replying "You are the only person who ever lived in the town that remains alive..."

Finn clutched his head desperately, "No…that, that can't be right….What about Allen?"

Komui shuddered, he had no idea what kind of torture the boy was receiving at the house of the Noah, but Hevlaska said his innocence was still intact, meaning he was still alive. Komui collected his thoughts, and decided to ask the boy one last thing.

"Listen, Finn…there were three people who were not burned. All three were crucified, and looked like they had been tortured immensely before death…More importantly, there was a message carved deeply into their bodies… and we want to know what you think it means."

Komui help up a picture of the carving as Finn read it slowly.

"_darega koukai shinakerebanaranai tsumi wo okashi mashita mono_

_to shino atode attemo , norowarerumono_

_owari no hajimari ga chikadu iteiru"_

Finn's jaw dropped as he translated the text in his head before muttering,

"_Those who have sinned shall repent_

_And are damned, even after death_

_The Beginning of the end is Neah…"_

Page 3 of 3


	34. Chapter 34  Accident

Chapter 34

Komui was unable to sleep. Even after being ALLOWED to have a break from the paper-work, he just lay on his bed, his mind swarming with thoughts. Most of which were based around Allen. It was true; everyone in the Order had come to like Allen, his childish grins, his politeness, and even his just, kind way of living. It had left a significant hole in the Order without the white-haired boy, and this new discovery only heightened the sense of ever-growing dread Komui felt in the pit of his stomach.

He had a horrible feeling that what happened in Bukott Angyal had something to do with the kidnapped exorcist, but was unable to accept that the innocent kid would ever take a part in such a vile act. Besides, murdering other humans sounded like something Allen would never do, it just didn't fit his character, so Komui came to the conclusion it must have had something to do with the Noah…No Akuma would actually take the time to crucify the villagers, and torture them. Akuma are killing machines…they can't feel, so they would just kill them, turning the village to dust.

The fire…this was another puzzle that Komui was trying to work out…it didn't make any sense, why would someone bother to burn the buildings? Why didn't the villagers escape the fire? Unless….Maybe the villagers were already deceased?

The thought struck him like lightning as he stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Tick, tick tick.

The clock struck 4am as Komui sighed, allowing his thoughts drift back to wondering how Allen was faring.

Allen had spent the last few days in the Noah manor, not relaxing as the others had hoped, but training intensely. He had been practicing at absorbing Akuma, then balancing it with absorbing innocence. The Earl had changed his orders towards the Akuma, to just collect it and bring it back.

They had collected almost 10 pieces, without destroying it, leaving it for the white-haired Noah. Allen had been training simple fighting skills for the past few hours against lower level Akuma. He had decided not to use his innocence nor his Noah abilities, and was fighting in hand to hand combat with level twos. Sure, they were slow and clumsy most of the time, and Allen had no trouble dodging every one of their attacks, but without the use of innocence or dark matter, they couldn't be destroyed.

Allen had been doing this the last few days, choosing a worthy level two to fight with and proceeding to fight with it until he grew tired…or bored. Once either of these things happened, the Akuma would be absorbed, slashed to bits, or be detonated thanks to his Noah.

Today was no exception, as Allen quickly grew bored of the endless dodging and blocking. Allen smirked as he brought his right hand up to the Akuma, watching as its shape faltered, dematerialized and melded in with his hand.

Allen couldn't help but chuckle as he went to find some innocence to equalize the power he was absorbing. Finding his private store quickly, he grasped two pieces with his left hand and then tightened his grip.

Within seconds, the innocence disappeared and he could feel it running through his veins.

_**That hurt…**_ A very frustrated Neah complained from the depths of his mind.

_Morning, you haven't been awake for days now._ Allen stated in a monotone

_**I was busy… anyway, what'd I miss?**_

_I don't know… only getting revenge on that damn town?_

_**I MISSED THAT?**_Neah practically shouted, causing Allen's ears to retract visibly from the mental noise.

_Heh, yeah…. _Allen tried to reply as calmly as he could, but could already sense Neah's anger.

_**Why didn't you wake me up?**_ He continued to rage, voice rising with every word

_I didn't know how…I forgot anyway…_

_**You forgot! How can you forget!**_ Allen couldn't help but chuckle as he actually heard a deep sigh from within his mind.

_**So, what did you actually do with that innocence…It just kind of disappeared…**_

_Oh, I absorbed it._

Came the chirpy reply, obviously gloating slightly as Neah was unaware of his newfound ability.

_**You better be careful, that might have some pretty nasty side-effects….**_ Allen shrugged to himself as he went back to choose another Akuma to train with for the remainder of the afternoon.

He had been in the small, white training room for hours with a new Akuma. This one was shaped like a snake, with metallic claws and glowing purple fire that spewed from its jaws. It was vicious, and just what Allen wanted to train with. It still occurred, as it was inevitable… Allen grew bored.

He began calling out what he was doing, as if trying to entertain himself slightly more "Jump back, dodge, parry, lunge, jump, kick, dodge…" The Akuma snarled, disliking being mocked by its superior, even if he was a Noah, and without innocence or Noah powers activated, he really shouldn't be finding it this easy…

Allen was fed up, once again, and decided to absorb the Akuma once more, he concentrated and lifted his right arm slowly.

Closing his eyes, he lunged forward, using the ability, but to his horror, his hand made contact with something that was definitely not the Akuma's metallic scales…

Road was bored, Allen trained too much every since he got back and it was annoying. Sure, just the other week she had played with the mind of a General after he was chained to a tree, without Tyki or Allen knowing, but the fact of the matter was still that Allen used to play with her all the time! Now it was so rare, only once a week at most. She was wandering around the gardens inspecting the flowers, boredom evident on her face, as she heard a voice, coming from inside.

She recognized it instantly, even though what he was saying made almost no sense; she decided to check up on what was going on.

"Allen…" she muttered quietly before heading back into the house.

"Kick, dodge, punch, dodge, jump…" All she could hear was a string of words, all having something to do with fighting. Once more she shrugged, heading off to the room where the noise was coming from. Road spotted him, fighting against a level two Akuma, as he closed his eyes slowly.

She was excited, and decided to surprise him, so she quickly jumped and pushed the Akuma out of the way in an attempt to glomp him. She stared in horror as his right hand touched her forehead, almost gently, before a glowing ball of dark matter erupted and she was knocked unconscious.

Allen opened his eyes, terrified at what he would see. He gasped as he saw the unconscious petit figure of Road lying on the ground with her eyes closed. To his horror, he watched as the ashen skin began receding and the crosses started to disappear on her forehead.

He screamed when he felt an unimaginable new power flow through his veins as a burning sensation took control. He rolled on the floor in agony, unable to breathe, he gasped for breath. He heard footsteps rushing to the scene and felt himself screaming, but none of it mattered.

He couldn't believe what just happened… it, it couldn't be true…. No!

Allen blacked out, as he tasted the warm, metallic liquid that oozed from his open jaw.

Allen's nightmares were all plagued with the same, familiar scene of the blue-haired girl lying lifeless of the cold floor. Each nightmare, it got worse and altered more and more from reality.

The last…he had her blood all over his hands and she seemed to be crying as she fell. He couldn't take it, he shouted desperately at himself to stop, but he was unable to control his own body. Again and again, he watched her fall onto the blood-soaked stones, as his screaming and pleading intensified.

Allen was about to give up, he no longer felt the courage that once defined his personality and perseverance, he felt alone, lost.

Screwing his eyes shut, he pleaded for it to end, to release him from this torture, and like magic, a soft childish voice split the realm in half "Shut up, baka!"

Allen opened his eyes in shock and stared at the white roof. His head was throbbing; and his throat was hoarse from his screams.

He looked over to the other side of the room to reveal a VERY pissed off looking Road, in her human form with her arms crossed. Her purple orbs stared furiously at his sullen gray ones, as she stood and raised her arm, about to hit him.

"You've been unconscious for days! What do you think you're playing at!" she shouted angrily once more, but refrained from hitting him.

"Why…why did you have to pass out… I want to know." She cried, Allen couldn't help but stare at her, completely dumb-founded.

Relief began to wash over him as he realized this was not another nightmare, as he replied breathlessly "You're alive?" hope was gleaming in his voice, as the question could barely be heard.

"Alive? Why wouldn't I be alive?" she asked, now wearing the same dumbfounded expression as he.

"I… I was trying to absorb the Akuma, but I touched you instead…" he muttered, trying to work out what he had done.

Road interrupted his thoughts, her voice stern, she retorted, "And you did. It worked… I don't know what you did, but give it back!" she shouted angrily before standing again, on the verge of tears.

Allen couldn't change his expression, so utterly clueless he was that all he could manage to stutter was "Give what back?"

She raised her elbow, preparing to strike before whispering "I… I'm human, you did something to my Noah"

THWACK.

Allen was left coughing, by being elbowed in the stomach so hard, but that wasn't what was bothering him. There was no way… he, he absorbed a Noah? That didn't make sense, he refused to accept it. He clutched his head desperately, then ripped the sheets off and ran to the nearby bathroom.

_**Relax, you have no other company in here, so that means you didn't absorb her Noah.**_

Neah's voice filled Allen's mind as he continued sprinting; only quickening his pace. He ripped the door of its hinges, surprised at his own strength before running to the mirror. He grabbed its sides desperately, before both his eyes activated.

Allen sighed in relief he saw only his souls, but Neah seemed to be a whole lot larger and stronger than his other half.

Road trailed behind him with a sullen expression, entering the bathroom and glancing at the mirror which Allen was transfixed on. After a moment he smiled in relief, and turned back to face Road. His smile turned into a broad grin after his eye revealed everything.

Her soul was no longer chained by dark matter, but purple flames still danced at her feet.

Trying to formulate a reason, he spoke up after minutes of silence "You're not human…but I think I accidentally sealed away your Noah…" Road huffed that she had to be in this weak, human state, but was VERY glad her Noah was still there.

After having been angry at Allen for almost a week, she couldn't take it anymore. She jumped on him and hugged him as tears of relief spilled freely from her violet eyes.

"You want us to what?" shouted a chorus of annoyed yells from a combination of Lavi, Crowley, Linalee as well as the usual un-amused looking bookman.

"That's right; you are all assigned to General Cross' search party. Other exorcists have been assigned to the other generals, and it is your mission to find and bring back General Cross… Ever since what happened to Yeagar…" The group of exorcists nodded solemnly, all hearing about what happened to the old General.

"Especially since they're looking for the heart…." All the exorcist's attentions were directed towards the supervisor as their mouths gaped, except for Lavi and Bookman.

"I assume you didn't hear… The general was not dead when we found him… he had a horrible wound across his chest that led to his death the day after, but once we brought him to the hospital… He started singing." The exorcists' eyes seemed to bulge out of their sockets, except for bookman, who was writing down notes.

"The 'song' went something like this…" Komui pulled a golem out of his pocket, as the deceased General's voice filled the room with the eerie song.

_**Sennen koha shagashiteru...**__**  
**__**Daijina**__** HEART **__**sangeshiteru**__**  
**__**Watashi wa hatsure!**__**  
**__**Zugi watare?**__**  
**__**Daijina HEART sanaghiteru**_


	35. Chapter 35  The Plan

**Author's Note: Special thanks to Thatguyuare for help with this chapter, also The Heart song I put in the last chapter- I grabbed the lyrics off the net so I'm not completely sure if it is right, alas- there are two versions of the song. The first is when Road sings it to the general, but it is different when the General sings it back. The version I had is the second one, still not sure if it is correct, but it is definitely not the same as the first. **

**As always, thanks to everyone who reads/ reviews ^^. I am probably going to end this story soon, but opinion may change, so please, review and tell me what you think.**

Chapter 35

The Noah mansion had been quiet lately, almost everyone had been out, collecting innocence, murdering exorcists, the usual. Road and Allen were the only two who seemed to have absolutely nothing to do, they would spend the majority of their time playing games with each other. The Earl, on the other hand, had plenty of work to do, and quickly got quite frustrated with the pair, even if they were his family. The Black Order was steadily amassing more and more innocence, and if they weren't careful, they would find more exorcists and become a slight annoyance. As such, the Earl sent them off onto a mission to find some innocence, more to occupy them than anything else. Road and Allen didn't like being forced out of the house, but at least they were allowed to go on a mission together. Apparently, they were going to a quaint country village in China where the town's main water source, a river flowing down from a large lake with a spring in it, had dried up. This was for no apparently reason, and now the townspeople were feuding, trying to decide what to do and how to evenly distribute the remaining water.

Allen and Road stepped out of a heart-shaped gate that seemed to rise from nowhere, the black and red doors thrown open. Road hadn't been taking the loss of her Noah too well, she still hadn't forgiven Allen completely, and as such was making him do most of the work. Then again, she was as powerless as a normal sub-human, and this angered her greatly. It was difficult for her, she couldn't kill a human with any Noah powers, she had to use conventional methods; knives, stones and the like.

Allen and Road found themselves on a small hill overlooking a small village somewhere in rural China. The place was beautiful, and Allen suspected that if he hadn't been taken in by the Earl, he would have loved to live here. Allen sealed up his Noah form with great reluctance as Road blew a raspberry at him. At this Allen hummed a few notes, making him speed around her, taunting her, which only made her pout more. Not wanting to piss her off even more, Allen expanded the range of his powers, so that Road also moved with incredible speed.

Within seconds, they were both inside the town, which had classic Chinese architecture and many houses, but something seemed wrong with the town. Not only were there no plants, trees or any other kind on wildlife, but the town seemed deserted. Allen knew differently, one look through his human eye and he could see roughly seventy souls residing in various buildings. They made their way to the town square, in which was an elaborate marble statue that was obviously supposed to be an amazing fountain, but it had dried up. So, it seemed, had all of the other various water features and canals in the village. Next to the town square there was a very large house, the largest in the whole town, that looked to be of some importance. Allen and road walked up to the high walls, pushed open the reed screen door and yelled, "Hello? Is anybody there?"

Silence, no one seemed to be answering, even though Allen could clearly see that there were two souls inside the house.

"We've come to help you with the strange occurrences in this town!" yelled Road.

At this, the one of the souls started making its way slowly over to the door, and Allen glanced upwards to ensure that his hair was no longer stark white, and now chestnut brown. Good, it had changed color. The door shifted slightly, revealing a frail old man who looked like he'd eaten one too many lemons. He was of short stature, with virtually no hair, just a small ring of it around the crown of his head. He carried a bent walking stick, and walked painfully slowly. Allen had to suppress the urge to laugh, he hadn't seen someone with so little fashion sense since they tried to take Kanda to a boutique back at the Order. The man didn't say a word, he only beckoned them inside with a single finger. They all walked through the lavish house, Allen could tell that they were most definitely not short of money. The soon entered the living room, where a girl who looked to be Road's age, 12 or 13, was seated. She looked like she had just lost something, or someone, dear to her. Road, Allen and the old man all seated themselves at the round table.

"So, you've come to help us, eh? Why would you want to do that, who sent you?"

"Sir, we've heard that some strange phenomena have been occurring in this town, and we have come to see if there's anything we can do to help. See, while we aren't with the Black Order, we still possess innocence, and this seems like the work of it." A confused look spread across the man's face, so Allen continued. "Innocence is a rare, special material that sometime 'binds' with a user, creating someone who can destroy Akuma, demons created by the Millennium Earl. It is also known to cause strange things to happen wherever it is." It pained Allen to sully the Earl's name, but it was for the sake of the mission.

Not wanting to be left out of the conversation, Road explained further, "We have heard that your water source has dried up, did anyone do anything odd a few weeks or months before this started occuring?"

"Well… My orphaned grandchild, Mei Ling", said the old man, gesturing to the young girl sitting next to him, "She had an amazing power to see into the future, she would use a crystal ball to predict the future. Every time she did this, it came true. It made our town prosper, and allowed us to build this wonderful home and expand. But then, one day, Mei Ling saw a horrible vision of a young boy, no older than 16, being tortured at the hands of a girl with spiky blue hair. The boy was screaming for help, covered in blood. She decided that no more good could come of her fortune telling, and so she threw the crystal orb into the lake where our water comes from, and not seven days later, the water starts drying up. It seems to be getting sucked into the bottom of the lake, we have never seen anything like it."

Allen frowned at Road, concerned about the vision the girl had.

"Well then, do you mind if we go up to the top and see if we can do anything about this? You never know, it might be a simple matter of swimming down to the bottom of the lake and retrieving it."

"Go right ahead, if you can fix our water supply, you'll be heroes in this town", the old man said skeptically."

At that, Allen and Road rose, departing the house and making their way up the mountainside, following the riverbed to where the lake was. As they round the steep him, neither of them even the slightest out of breath, they came upon a vista that would have been beautiful… If the lake had even a little water in it. As it was, there was barely four meters of water in it, out of a possible twenty or thirty.

"If they're running out of water so badly, why the hell wouldn't they just swim down to the bottom and retrieve it?" Enquired Road.

"They're probably superstitious that a monster will devour them or something." Allen Replied.

The view was quite incredible, there were large mountains in the backdrop, all covered in snow, and large forests a few hundred meters away. Where the lake should have been, there was just a large pit in the ground. So, without further adieu, Allen stripped down to his boxers, much to Road's liking, and made his way down the muddy embankment to dive into the water. With hardly a splash, Allen entered the freezing water as if it were lukewarm. Cold didn't seem to affect him anymore, for some reason. He dived down, humming a simple tune in his head. This was his first time to experiment with his Noah power like this, and to his surprise, it worked! Allen could 'slow down' the time around him, and not only that, but it also allowed him to hold his breath for an incredible amount of time. Allen swam down to the bottom the lake, the bed was cloudy with mud, rocks and sticks, but shining through the grime, Allen could see a glimmering orb. He felt a familiar hatred within him, emanating from Neah, and he instantly knew that it was innocence. With quick, powerful strokes, he made his way over to where the orb was resting in the brown silt. Putting his left hand out so as not to cause Neah much more pain, he grasped the glowing crystal ball and returned to the surface. He brought his head up to above the water level, and he found that he wasn't actually out of breath, even though he had actually been down there for 10 minutes of 'Allen's time'. Road looked shocked when she saw the innocence in his hand,

"How did you get that so quickly, you've only been down there for a few seconds!"

"Wow, really? I didn't expect that, I had no idea that my Noah power was so strong."

Holding the elaborate glowing crystal sphere in his left hand, he drew on his strength and clenched his fist. With a loud, resounding _crash_, the orb shattered, bursting into a million shards of glass. They retained the shape of an orb for half a second, before rushing past Allen's hand like a light shower of rain, falling to the ground in a circular shape, resulting in a glistening circle of glass. As Allen felt the familiar sensation of innocence being absorbed, he noticed something odd happening on the ground where the glass shards lay. They seemed to be… dripping?

Road noticed this too, looking at it as if it were a freak at a circus. Within seconds, the trickle transformed into a small stream, and then it turned into a huge cascade of water. The water was spreading around them, quickly, and it seemed to be coming from the crystal shards. Maybe because the innocence-permeated glass had 'absorbed' some of the innocence, it began to 'absorb' the water around it, which, in turn, made the glass ball like a drain at the bottom of the lake.

Acting quickly, Allen hummed a few notes in his head, expanding its field so that Road felt the effects too. They both moved fast, sweeping every last one of the glass shards back into the lakebed. Allen 'unblocked' the time around them, allowing the water to move quickly again. Before long, the lake was near full, and the flow of water from the shards seemed to have lessened. With that, Allen and Road set off to where they had left the gate, they did not want the villagers to see them summoning it. As they were walking along the plateau in which the lake was, Allen could hear the villagers rejoicing about the sudden flow of water through the canals. As they were about to descend the plateau, a gate that was shaped like the silhouette of a frightened cat shot up in front of them. The doors instantly shot open, revealing Lulubell, who had a very urgent look on her face. She was in her human form, instead of her cat one, which was a rare enough occurrence for Allen to know that she was serious.

"The Earl has sent me to tell you that he's heard from some level twos that there's a band of four exorcists headed your way!"

"Ooh, good, how should we deal with them?" Road enquired.

"Hmm… Well, the Earl told me to protect you by any means necessary, so I am here to assist you. And Allen, they can't find out about you, they think you've been kidnapped…"

Allen had an idea, "What about… What about if you took on my form, bloodied and bruised, and Road stands over me, pretending to torture me?"

All the others nodded in agreement, and so they prepared. Lulubell transformed into a very battered Allen, Road stood in the middle of the road as Lulu lay down on the ground, allowing a pool of crimson to seep out from under her. Allen found a place in a nearby tree, a suitable vantage point. He leapt up to one of the highest branches and settled in to watch the show.

Page 2 of 2


	36. Chapter 36  We Are One

Chapter 36

It had been weeks since the exorcists were first assigned to find and bring back General Cross, who incidentally hadn't been in contact with the Order for almost 4 years. Out of the small group; consisting of Lenalee, Crowley, Lavi and Bookman, none had officially met the elusive general. Lenalee had encountered him once when she was young but could not remember him at all; Crowley was fairy new to the Order and had never met a General before. Lavi and Bookman had recorded every known detail about the man, still lacked in information having of never met him.

Komui had some strange idea that the General was somewhere in Japan, which lead to the exorcists currently travelling through rural China. The number of Akuma in the area was minimal, and they only had to fight a few level ones so far. That was no cause for concern, but the fact that every time there were Akuma nearby, a strange black cat with a silver star on its forehead seemed to be a spectator.

Facing only level ones was perhaps for the best, seeing as most members in the group would have trouble taking on a level two Akuma by themselves. Traveling from village to village, the number of rumors increased about an apparent town that's water supply had completely vanished for no reason.

The Exorcists met many villagers who had abandoned the town, as they learned the story of the town. Hearing it, the exorcists assumed that it might have something to do with innocence, hence why the group was now striding down a dirt path that supposedly led to the town.

"Hey gramps, why do you reckon the river bed here is dry?" an over-excited Lavi enquired, gesturing to the dried-up river bed they were walking along side. Bookman shrugged, he honestly didn't know the answer- which was very rare.

"It probably has something to do with innocence." Came the dignified response from Bookman, who was now kneeling over inspecting the hardened earth.

Crowley and Lenalee both failed to notice the bookmen straying off the path and just kept walking. They were too amerced in a conversation discussing the whereabouts of a certain white-haired exorcist. Sure, Crowley was new The Order, and didn't really have many friends, but the white-haired boy had made the greatest impact on his life so far.

After Eliade, he didn't think he would have found a reason to continue living, but Allen's speech gave his life a new purpose. When Crowley heard the news about Allen, he was devastated. The boy may have been young, but he had an aura of command that surrounded him, giving anyone the impression of authority. He still had trouble, even now believing that he could be seriously wounded, or even dead.

The simple thought brought shivers down the new Exorcist's spine, as one of his partners noticed the sudden movement. Lenalee patted his shoulder comfortingly and smiled warmly back at him attempting to reassure the new recruit.

"I'm sure Allen is fine.." At those words she spoke, her smile didn't waver in the slightest but the same could not be said for her heart. She was terrified that a piece of her world may have been destroyed but she was careful not to show it. She had to be strong, and give hope to others without just pitying herself. One of the only things she was sure of now, was that if she was to ever see that blue-haired Noah again, she wouldn't hold back…not after what that monster had done to Allen.

There was a slight tremor in the earth, and Bookman was the first to react. Within a second, he was out of the small ditch, staring back at his apprentice with indifference, before smirking lightly.

Lavi could only stare at the old panda; he didn't really understand why he had jumped out, until the old panda gestured to the right. Lavi craned his neck around enough to catch a glimpse of torrents of water, rushing down the riverbed.

Lavi was too stunned to react as the massive wave closed in, but Bookman reacted first. He pulled his idiot apprentice out of the river bed before he was swept away with the current. Bookman dragged him down the path in a hurry to catch up to where the others were, still walking and chatting light heartedly. Lavi was frozen in shock, before bursting into laughter about being saved by the old panda, which in turn earned him a kick to the face.

"Guess the water's back…" muttered Lavi, scratching his head with a curious expression. Bookman kept on walking, showing no signs of distress, because in truth his mind was thrown into turmoil. Hundreds of explanations flew through his mind as he tried to think of one that fit the turn of events. It was not long before he sorted through every single one, coming up with the most likely conclusion.

He nodded slightly before replying "The innocence has probably either been found, or been destroyed." Lavi bowed his head slightly, muttering in agreement as Lenalee heard the last statement.

She brought her hand over her mouth with a desperate look before retorting "If it's been destroyed, it means Akuma are there." She grabbed Crowley's sleeve then broke into a run. Lavi followed but Bookman kept his slow walking pace.

Bookman sighed before muttering to himself "Impatient brats…"

Lenalee didn't know why her heart pounded so fast, or why the rush of adrenalin hit her when she overheard the mention of Akuma. Something inside her told her to run to the village, and she would find what she is truly seeking.

Lenalee knew that it was meant to be Cross who she sought, but she couldn't stop the flow of images of Allen that were seeping into her mind. Nothing could have prepared her for what she witnessed next.

She was the fastest in the group, mainly due to her innocence which was now activated. She sped ahead of Crowley, her heart pounding in her chest, drowning out all other sounds. She sprinted up the last dirt hill, reaching the top panting heavily, before gazing down at the scenery below.

Her blood froze at what was happening in front of her.

The road continued to the town, just as she predicted and was lined with large trees, but this wasn't what she was focused on. No, it was the figure, no two figures in front of her. Time itself seemed to slow down as she witnessed the pool of crimson underneath the white-haired boy stain the dirt.

Lenalee could no longer think, the emotions overcame her body, anguish, agony, animosity and the blinding rage overcame her senses that drove her towards the blue-haired girl.

Allen couldn't believe his eyes. He was sitting atop one of the tallest trees and had been watching the exorcists for a while now. Sure, he could hear the anger in the blue-haired exorcist's melody, but he NEVER expected this.

It happened in less than a second, usually Allen could have stopped it if he was paying attention, but he wasn't. It happened to fast, as soon as the exorcist spotted 'him', she charged delivering bone-crunching kick to the currently human Road standing next to 'his' corpse.

Allen heard her ribs snap, along with several vital organs being crushed by the loose bones. He could hear her heartbeat weakening, slowing dramatically so it was barely audible, even to him.

_LULUBELL, GET THE EXORCISTS OUT OF HERE! _He commanded desperately with his Noah

Lenalee ran back over to where Allen was lying. She could barely see his chest rise and fall, mainly because her vision was so clouded with tears she couldn't even see his face properly. Lenalee didn't want to believe what she had just done to another human being…Ever since she had laid eyes on the scene; she was helpless, drowning in a sea of her own emotions.

Sure, she watched herself land a critical blow on the others stomach, then watched as the force knocked the frail body into a nearby tree. What she didn't see however, was the look for pure fear of the other's face, nor the tears that spilt from the other's eyes right before the impact.

"Please….take me away…" the soft, broken voice the white-haired exorcist tore through her thoughts, letting her regain self-control. She reached down and supported his head with trembling hands. What she was next was a sight she would never forget…his eyes, they were gray, but empty. It was like he had been broken.

She heard Lavi and Crowley yell as they stumbled upon the gruesome scene. Lenalee didn't care, she just needed to get everyone somewhere safe.

"Lavi..Your hammer.." she whimpered, still clutching Allen's hair in desperation. He understood instantly, extending his hammer, and helping Lenalee to support the broken figure of Allen, while climbing aboard. Crowley followed, too stunned to even say or ask anything.

"Extend!" was all that was heard as the hammer extended taking the party of exorcists away from the scene.

Allen couldn't believe his eyes, nor his ears, not even his smell. He didn't, he couldn't believe that what he just witnessed actually happened and he hadn't stopped it.

Hearing the retreat of the exorcists meant nothing to him anymore. He just sat there, staring at the crumpled figure on the ground, coughing up that marvelous metallic crimson, which she would have once been so eager to taste.

He regained himself slightly, and managed to jump out of the tree without falling, but with each step he took towards the now crater, a cold feeling of dread grew in the pit of his stomach.

He collapsed, unable to bare it anymore- on the last step. In an effort of pure desperation, he pressed his hands against her frail shoulders, shaking her as if trying to wake her up.

Tears streamed down his cheeks, forming a puddle under where he was collapsed.

"Wake up….remember; you were always saying that in the end, you'd always be by my side….that's why…you can't leave!" He pleaded out of pure desperation.

He shook the unconscious body harder, still achieving nothing. His voice kept faltering; he couldn't even form a sentence now, his body racked with sobs.

_**Allen, you'll never wake her…**_

_Shut up Neah! She…she can't die...not like this!_

_**Allen….I told you, you'll never wake her like that. The entity that makes up who I am, the part of that entity known as' Neah', has a wish that she survives. That is why I will help you…**_

_Help me?_

_**Go further into the realms of light and dark Allen, there you will find the answer….**_

Allen both his eyes activating, reveal her soul slowly floating away, still with purple fire dancing at her heels.

He closed his eyes once more, but when he opened them again, everything was different. He could see her soul, still floating away, but everything around him was….different. Everything was gray, a blur, as he stared down at his own arms, he realized he was no longer crouching.

Instead, his arms were glowing white, with what looked like flames flickering off his arms. He felt chains that bound him firmly in place as he desperately tried to reach for her soul's hand. To his surprise, she tried to grab his outstretched arm, falling short by a few centimeters.

"No!" Allen heard himself scream, but her soul was still slowly, dispersing into the gray background. It was then he looked down, only to see HIS body slumped over against the tree, and whatever he was seeing, was from one of his soul's perspectives.

He heard a muffled "ugh" coming from behind him, and to his shock he saw his other half. Another soul, that looked identical to him, except surrounded in purple and black flames, instead of brilliant white.

"**Allen, this is your only chance…"** Allen could see the pain that flashed around his face, as Allen turned his own into a sad smile.

"What do I have to do to save her?"

The darker soul placed his arm on lighter version's shoulder gently before replying "**As you can see, neither of us is strong enough by ourselves…To save her, we must no longer be separate….**"

Allen raised an eyebrow questioningly before replying "I accept, even if I die in the process…."

The other chuckled before replying "**No, you will still be 'Allen' and I will still be who I am, just you will have my memories, and some of my personality…we will be one. If anything, it would kill me, but the part of 'me' that is 'Neah' wants to save that girlie, as much as you do."**

Allen couldn't help a sad smile, then reached out his hand into the others waiting palm. He gripped it firmly before everything around him blurred once more. He heard something snap, then looked around and realized it was the chains that had bound him. Looking at his arms once more, they were now completely gray with ashen fire flickering into the gray background.

He gazed back up at the sky where he saw her soul, with its hands outstretched, waiting for him. He smiled once more, reaching out with his right hand.

Their fingers touched for a brief moment, before the violet flames exploded once more, chaining the soul but returning her power. He watched from his position, as the crosses imbed themselves back into her forehead, as well as her skin darken.

He opened his eyes once more, feeling an unimaginable rush of power flow over him. Memories too, clashing with his own, etching their way into his brain, alas it was too much.

The edges of his vision clouded and he fell unconscious, unable to wield that kind of power in the state he was in.

Road's eyes fluttered open to reveal an unconscious Allen in her lap. The last thing she remembered was being kicked by that damn exorcist…surely that had been her end…but then, why was she still alive? She looked around, spotting two unmoving eyes fixed upon her.

Not that she cared, she knew who it was and they would never tell a soul.

She gazed down at her fingers, which were now charcoal instead of pale. A smirk etched its way across her face, as she realized she finally had her Noah back. Still grinning from ear to ear, she propped Allen's unconscious body onto her back, then summoned one of her doors. A large, checkered, heart shaped door encrusted with gems opened as she stepped through eagerly, dragging Allen's heels in the dust.

The silent observer was too stunned to even begin taking notes. This was something that would definitely change history, as well as the outcome of the war, and as a bookman it was his job to record it.

This discovery answered so many questions that previously clouded his mind, but he sighed heavily.

As a bookman, he is an observer, and can't warn the Order of this…Hell, this was so important, he doubted he would even tell his young apprentice.

Page 3 of 3


	37. Chapter 37  Home

**Author's Note: Sorry if this chapter is hard to understand, due to the lack of proper grammar as well as the tense and perspective flipping. This chapter was hard to write in that had to go through feelings and all that, sorry if it is not adequate. As always, thanks to everyone who reads and reviews.**

Chapter 37

Lulubell was afraid, aghast, worried, anxious, fearful, panicked, petrified, shaken, startled, and just pain terrified about what had happen to her sister. She was ashamed that it was HER fault because she was there, right next to the scene, but did nothing. She couldn't because of her mission! No…that didn't matter anymore, the fact was the eldest Noah may be dead.

Lulu still couldn't think straight, she heard Allen's desperate cry to get the exorcists away and she complied still shuddering. Those filthy humans kept touching her, and using that horrid innocence to escape. She was still too stunned to move, and she couldn't walk herself….She had not only failed a mission, but Road could have been killed! And what was she doing? Getting helped by exorcists! It was disgusting, and yet she couldn't escape.

The noises of the exorcists became obsolete when she felt a tear trickle down her cheek. No….It couldn't be! That might mean…No! Lulubell refused to believe it. Even if the tears were proof, she couldn't believe that Road was gone…that just, there's no way Allen would let that happen. Lulubell tried to calm herself, but it was to no avail, the tears just kept trickling down her cheek.

They reached a small inn moments later thanks to the incredible speed of the innocence, but no matter much time passed, the tears wouldn't stop. Lulubell tried many times to compose herself, but she was unable to. She wasn't sure if it was her inner Noah, or it was her own feelings towards the young girl, regardless, she couldn't stop.

By now, the exorcists' jackets were soaked with her tears, which they all thought were tears of joy. The exorcists were so exited and relieved to have their 'friend' back, that none even noticed when their 'friend's' eyes flickered golden and screamed murder.

Lenalee was ecstatic to have the white-haired boy back. She wasn't completely sure why her heart pounded as fast as it did when she first laid eyes upon him, or why it swelled every time she looked at him, but she didn't care anymore. She had felt what it would be like to lose him, and was determined never to repeat the experience.

Both Lavi and Crowley felt identical, in that they never wanted to see the new exorcist in so much pain. They were motivated to never let that happen again, so they decided to take turns watching over him at night.

As a group, it was decided that Lenalee wouldn't have to keep watch, purely because of Komui's reaction if he ever found out she had spent time with a boy, alone, in a dark room. Both Lavi and Crowley shuddered at the thought, especially since the chief hadn't shown his face recently, usually meaning he was working on a new 'invention'.

Unlike Kanda, Allen was brave enough to spare the robots, meaning ridiculous upgrades on the already overdone model. In all, it made that damn Koumurin more dangerous than an Akuma!

Lavi was sitting on a wooden stool in the corner of the room with his face buried in his hands. He hadn't thought of the old panda when they left the scene, and he had still yet to show up. He was more worried that he had seen the look on Lavi's face when he observed Allen cry.

It wasn't the look of an impartial observer, but that of a close friend. The more Lavi thought about it, the odder it seemed. Allen did cry yes, and the look on his face…it appeared he was completely broken. With tears streaming down his cheeks, it was a truly tragic scene.

This was not the abnormality…no, it was because after a few minutes of looking completely shattered, the tears stopped suddenly and his face turned from a broken mask, to a gleeful smile.

Lavi started tapping his fingers on the chair in an effort to distract himself from his troubling thoughts. Allen had been out cold for hours now and was just lying completely concealed, under the soft white sheets. Lavi could hear soft footsteps approaching as he looked up slightly from his meaningless task.

"Lavi, can I come in?" came to soft question as Lavi broke into a grin. He swung the door open to reveal the nervous and blushing figure of Lenalee.

Road was agitated to say the least.

First she gets stuck being a damn human for almost a week, then she has the 'good' fortune of running across that band of exorcists.

Sure, she probably should have thought about the consequences seeing as she was a mere human at the time, but she overlooked it completely.

For the first time in what felt like a millennium, she felt true pain. Usually, she wouldn't feel anything like that, seeing as that would only happen if it was directed at her true form, but as a human…the stupid mortal body was her 'true' form. She could actually feel her frail bones shatter at the impact. It hurt, more than she remembered, and she couldn't help the fear that masked her face.

It was all over less than a second, she didn't even think about what was happening at the time…a rush of memories hit her, consumed her. All the long lost memories of her true past flashed before her eyes, as only a silent tear fell from her eyes. She was lucky enough to have forgotten her past, but at that moment, all the horrible memories came flooding back. As soon as they came, they left leaving her empty once more.

The darkness slowly faded as she managed to open her eyes, for what she thought would be the last time. Sure, the pain in her stomach was unbearable as her heart-beat slowed dramatically, sure it hurt when she coughed up torrents of blood, but nothing could compare to the pain she felt in her heart.

From the memories that she had witnessed, one stood out from the rest, and that was when Allen joined the family. He was young, terrified at first, even though he seemed to be confident. She had once found him crying in a corner and tried to comfort him. She remembered promising that no matter what happened, she would always be by his side. She remembered the hopeful gleam in his silvery eyes as he stared back at her.

It felt like it was going to be all over soon. The edges of her vision clouded until she couldn't see anymore. She wasn't unconscious, as she could feel someone shaking her and pleading with her. She tried desperately to respond, but was unable. Although she could feel the warmth of the one and only Allen, she couldn't see his face. It scared her, as she finally succumb to the welcoming black abyss.

When she opened her eyes, she thought she was in heaven or something stupid like that. She glanced around, seeing the unconscious figure of Allen, lying in her lap. She was astounded as she realized that she was alive, and did in fact have her Noah back as she could feel the now miniscule wound healing.

Her attention was then brought back to the figure lying in the dirt. He was thrashing, and seemed to be grasping his head as if he was in pain. She couldn't help but grin, knowing he was alright as she reached out and grabbed his arms, propping him on her back as she walked through her already summoned door.

"Baka…that promise we made, you have to be by my side as well!" she muttered to herself, dragging him through hundreds of dimensions. That brought her back to where she was now, dragging a kicking and thrashing Allen behind her on her way to the ark.

Surely Millennie would know what to do, but she had no idea where he was at. Seriously, he could literally be anywhere in the world and within a matter of seconds, turn up on the other side of it.

Sighing, she dragged the unconscious boy to Tyki's room, seeing as it was the closest. She didn't bother knocking, and just kicked the door down completely before waltzing in and placing Allen gently on the bed. Scouting the room, she spotted a now, gaping Tyki staring at his broken door.

"How…? Oh, you got your powers back I see how it is…." He muttered, regaining his posture, turning back to the deck of cards in his hand. Road was however, uninterested as she simply pulled the covers over the sleeping white-haired boy. She smiled down at him once, before turning around stalking out of the room.

"Wha? He's sleeping here?" Tyki asked in dismay, not that he really minded, just this was his room and he didn't get why Allen was in here.

"Keep an eye on him while I'm gone, I'll be back soon." She called out after her, disappearing into the ark to have a shower and change out of the blood-soaked dress.

Tyki returned to staring at the deck of cards before a large smirk etched its way across his features. He craned his neck to stare at the sleeping boy before he chuckled to himself, dragging a small table over to next to the bed.

"I'm going to win this time, Allen!" he muttered to himself dealing the cards, preparing to play strip poker with an unconscious boy.

Road walked through the doorway almost an hour later, seeing as the door was currently well broken thanks to her. She peered inside, revealing a shivering Tyki wearing only his socks and his boxers.

Road raised an eye brow questioningly, before coughing slightly letting Tyki know of her presence. He practically jumped out of his skin in shock, as he scratched his skin attempting to explain the situation.

"So you're losing to him, WHILE he is unconscious?" she concluded, as Tyki nodded glumly. He dealt the last hand, before looking at his cards as a smirk spread across his face. He chuckled darkly, as Road walked over then inspected his hand. She then looked over at Allen's and burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Tyki scowled, revealing his hand before looking at Allen's. His jaw dropped for the 10th time that night as he saw Allen's hand….A Royal Straight…Flush? Tyki scowled, ripping off his socks and admitting defeat. He stood modestly, before stalking towards his bathroom to get changed once again. A thought crossed his mind as he remembered something, that he could bet that Road had forgotten.

"Hey Road, have you forgotten about Lulu?" he called back, closing the door behind him as he chuckled darkly.

"Shit!" Road yelped, jumping off the floor and running towards her room, because in truth…she had. She sprinted as fast as she could, opening a door to a realm where she could view what Lulu was doing.

Her sister was still in Allen's form, lying soundly asleep on what looked like a cheap inn bed made of straw. Road was surprised that Lulu could actually sleep on something so….cheap. Road decided to just watch, until there was a distraction and she could get Lulu out of there.

The red haired boy was sitting on a stool nearby, too close for Road to attempt it yet. She had to wait for the perfect distraction, and as it seemed Lady Luck was on her side tonight as she heard soft footsteps leading towards the door.

"Lavi, can I come in?" Road giggled as he saw the red head jump up in excitement opening the door eagerly. Road would relish this, it was almost like revenge, though she would be breaking the blue-haired one's heart, not physically of course…no she would leave that to Allen.

_Time to go, Lulu_

Road ordered with her Noah. 'Allen's' eyes shot open instantly, as Road jumped down from her dimension, quickly attaching chains to 'Allen's' arms with expertise. She grabbed the ends and pulled 'Allen' into one of her doors once more.

'Allen' screamed as it was all part of the act, as the other two occupants realized what was going on. Lady Luck seemed to like deceiving Road, as it was just her luck that she had to carry TWO thrashing Allens on her back in one day!

Once through the door and out of sight, Lulu changed back into her regular form and proceeded to pull Road into a hug.

"I'm so glad you're alive…" she almost whimpered.

By this point, Road was utterly freaked out…this was nothing like the Lulubell she knew so she asked "Is that really you in there Lulubell?"

Lulubell immediately let go of the embrace before turning back with emotionless eyes and replying "I'm glad I didn't fail my mission."

She then broke into a gleeful smile as Road chuckled and answered "There! Now that's more like the Lulu I know!"

The exorcists reacted quickly, but not nearly fast enough. In no time at all, the door had vanished as if it had never been there, as Lenalee broke down into sobs and Lavi muttered curses. There was a soft knock on the door, so quiet that if Lavi didn't have the trained ears of a bookman, he would have definitely missed it.

Clenching his fists, he opened the door slowly to reveal a weary looking bookman.

Lavi's face turned into utter confusion as Bookman stated "Lavi, I need to talk to you about Allen."

Page 3 of 3


	38. Chapter 38  Conspiracy

Chapter 38

Bookman was quick to usher Lavi away from the room containing the sobbing girl. He was curious as to what happened to them, but hid it underneath a mask of indifference.

They reached the study in a matter of seconds as bookman swung open the door, almost chucking his apprentice inside. He closed the door as softly as he could manage, and then locked it. Lavi was still sitting on the floor rubbing his head, with a slightly distraught facial expression.

"How did you know gramps?" He asked suspiciously. Bookman sweat dropped, had Lavi and Lenalee also witnessed Allen's betrayal? No...that didn't make sense.

"What do you mean?" Bookman asked seriously, staring at Lavi coldly trying to act as nonchalant as possible.

"Oh, so you don't know….We found Allen but he was hurt, so we took him back here. Then, just before you came in he was snatched by that blue haired Noah again…" Lavi trailed off, looking miserable. Bookman shook his head and sighed, in truth he was utterly confused…

From what he had witnessed, Allen had been close with the Noah, but….how did Lavi and Lenalee take another Allen away… Did this mean one was a fake?...Could it be that the whole thing was staged, maybe Allen WAS good but his fake had been planted to fool bookman… The whole thing didn't make any sense.

Bookman shook his head once more; he was getting nowhere- fast in his theories. He turned back to his apprentice, reaching a decision about what to say to the young lad.

"Lavi, I want to ask you about Allen." He stated, still with a firm strict voice as Lavi nodded glumly.

"When you first met him, did anything seem suspicious about him? Or did you notice any reason why the Noah would want him?" Lavi scratched his head with a puzzled expression, before it turned into a proud grin.

"Well, when I first met him, I remember having an odd conversation….Usually when I talk, about things of no importance they do stop listening and don't bother replying. With him, his expression told me he didn't care and wasn't interested, but he was still extremely polite and responded every time. Oh yeah, and I noticed something else too, and I'm guessing you did too. That kid, he was wearing a mask. The others in the Order probably didn't notice it, but I did, he was acting kind of like me in a way…Well we talked after that, and he wouldn't tell my anything, only hint at it which I found odd. Errh…" he trailed once more, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, when we were talking, he eventually asked about my eye-patch. Instead of answering I asked him about his eye, alas both questions remained unanswered. Oh wait!" Lavi raised his arms in victory as the last memory of that conversation floated back into his mind.

"There was one more thing; this was haunting me for awhile after he said it. It kind of gave me a malevolent impression, but he said Hey 'Lavi, being a Bookman and all. I was thinking, if a bookman who was currently 'acting' as an exorcist, knew something vital that could help the order, or had suspicions of something that could destroy it, would they tell anyone?'"

Bookman felt his jaw drop and his eyes almost pop out of his sockets. How did he…Those words were exactly the situation he was in now! How was that possible..

"I remember feeling this overwhelming trust for him, though I don't know why, so I replied 'I would normally say, 'yes of course!' but something about you makes me feel like you're trustworthy. I am a bookman, and am only acting as an exorcist, so the only person I would tell would be the current Bookman so he could record it.'"

Bookman couldn't help but let his eyes widen in astonishment once again. It was the answer to his problem, but one undeniable truth struck him hard…Was Lavi still a Bookman? Or did he consider himself to be more of an Exorcist…It was true, he should tell Lavi what he discovered, but…it could hurt him, severely.

Even as a Bookman, his apprentice had the wrong attitude, he was far too attached to his current life. Bookman sighed and shook his head, he wouldn't tell Lavi anything yet, he'd just let things play out and do what Bookman do best. Observe.

"Gramps! You still with us!" Lavi yelled, shaking Bookman almost sending him airborne. Bookman shook his head and his eyes shot open once more.

Thwack.

Now there was only dust in the space Lavi had previously occupied, and in the space where Lavi's face was, there was a large boot indent.

"Oww! That hurt! Eh, well I just wanted to say I thought of a reason why the Noah could want Allen." Bookman turned back to face his apprentice with one eye-brow raised.

"Well, I've only ever seen him fight once, and it wasn't against an Akuma, but another accommodator –Kuro-chan. I don't remember it too well, but Kuro-chan hit me and almost knocked me out within the first few seconds. I thought we were done for, but when I opened my eyes only seconds later, Allen had him pinned and was smirking at him….I swear I saw..no don't worry. Anyway, Kuro-chan in the next second was sprinting back towards the castle with his tail between his legs. It would have been hilarious if I wasn't in so much pain…But yeah, I assume he was really strong."

Bookman nodded satisfied, still mulling over thoughts and different theories in his mind.

He sighed once more, helping his apprentice to stand then muttering "I guess we are off the Edo then."

Leverrier was in a bad mood to say the least- Worse than his usual, sour, slightly cruel persona. He had just received another pile of paper work from that idiot Komui. I mean, seriously, there wouldn't be nearly as much if that idiot actually filled it out properly, instead of doodling what looked like pink bunny rabbits, as well as sketches for his latest wild invention. That man actually fit the description of the 'mad scientist' from beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Leverrier would usually just hand the paper work on down to his subordinates, but this time there was actually just too much. They were already at risk of drowning from the inappropriate scrawls along with the illegible so-called 'hand writing'. He was about to get started on the next pile, when he heard a yelp from his most trusted subordinate, who was now floundering in the sea of paper.

"Sir! His Holiness is on the phone!" Link shouted desperately, struggling to be heard amongst the rustling and shuffling of tons of paper.

Leverrier couldn't help but gasp, why would he be calling…maybe it was to do with the new, young, kidnapped exorcist. He swam through the ripple of work, gaining incredible distance with each stroke. Within seconds, he was out the door leaving the rest to Link.

Leverrier stalked down the long hallway, each step filling with dread. His face was hard, emotionless but his eyes gave everything away. Fear danced and flickered off every shadow and reflection as he prepared to take the phone. He reached out slowly, picking the phone up and clearing his throat.

"Your Holiness sir. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" he asked, his voice completely lacking all superiority that it held when he spoke to anyone else.

There was a deep chuckle from the other end of the line as a quiet voice responded chillingly "Excuse the formalities Malcolm. We have known each other a long time now…" His voice trailed off, leaving a mix of static and eerie silence in its place.

_That doesn't mean we are friends_. Leverrier thought bitterly.

The voice continued with only a moment's silence "Now, now. The reason is I must talk to you in private. Come to the Vatican library tonight 11pm, as I have arranged your escort…this involves a certain kidnapped exorcist…"

The voice quieted again as Leverrier gulped in fear. Damn that kid, because of him, now Leverrier had to attend an audience with the Pope himself...and that never ended well. Leverrier sighed once more, allowing his face to return to the stone hard gaze that his subordinates were used to.

The rest of the day dragged on, as eventually night fell. Leverrier walked out of the building to find two carriages awaiting his arrival. Climbing on board, he could see members of the Crow watching, defending the carriages as if they were expecting an attack. This put Leverrier on edge slightly more, as he tried to take deep breaths to calm himself.

The carriage ride was over in no time, and Leverrier was being escorted through the large halls by a group of armed Crow. It was a truly fearful sight, but Leverrier was probably the one who was the more terrified. He had only met with the man a few times, and each had been equally unpleasant. They reached the double, arced doorway of the library almost immediately, as Leverrier was pushed inside and then the only exit was sealed by a spell.

"Take a seat, Malcolm." The same voice echoed through the large halls as Leverrier almost jumped out of his skin. He walked over cautiously, and lowered himself into a seat beside the crackling fire, clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white.

"What is it you require, your Holiness?" Leverrier asked in a monotone, careful not to let his fear show in his words. A figure cloaked in shadows slowly stepped out from behind a large pillar, taking a seat across from Leverrier.

His face was marred by age and wrinkles, making him seem older than he actually was. His eyes glistened blue, and twinkled merrily to the untrained eye. Only someone like Leverrier or perhaps a Bookman would notice the sinister edge behind the false kindness. His smile…now that was something that no one could miss. It bordered on the edge of sadistic as it stretched from ear to ear, almost rivaling the Earl's in malevolence. To Leverrier's surprise, the smirk fell completely leaving a tiered, strained expression in its place.

"Malchom… I require your assistance." Leverrier's eyes bulged as his jaw dropped as he heard that. In his mind, this man was power given a physical form. He couldn't understand what could be this troubling to his superior to actually ask for help from his subordinate.

"What with sir?" he asked as calmly as he could, failing miserable. He sounded like an excited school girl as he ground his teeth in frustration at his own failure.

The Pope chuckled slightly before replying "I guess I should explain everything then. A few weeks ago, I started searching for some evidence about that white-haired exorcist. I had been coming up empty every day, and I couldn't understand. It was like he didn't exist… I eventually found journals, written by my subordinates dated 4 years ago. The strangest part, I myself WROTE some of them, but I have no memory what so ever about it.

One of the weirdest parts was all the journal records stopped on the same day, at the same time. Some stopped mid-sentence, as if they were forgotten completely. What was inside them was astounding.

Information about the Noah, as well as a new, fourteenth Noah. Naturally, I was astounded, but I was the one who wrote some of them…yet still I have no recollection of it at all. It was recorded that there was a man, who came seeking protection from the Earl claiming he held 'The Will of The Fourteenth'. After taken into custardy, and given protection as he asked, he told us all about the fourteenth, as we recorded it.

Yet still, one of the most intriguing files I found was written by none other than myself, documenting the attempted disposal of both Mana Walker and Allen Walker…."

He stopped talking momentarily as Leverrier looked like a fish out of water. Leverrier couldn't believe what he was hearing! Why didn't he remember any of this!...Allen Walker! That was the exorcist who was kidnapped…wait disposal, but why….

"It was set up to look like an accident, though according to the report, only Mana was killed in the incident. We believe that the Noah have kidnapped the child in order to turn him against us. If he was to find out about the incident, he may become mentally unstable, and therefore a threat to The Order, as well as the Vatican.

Now, we can't have him giving away vital information about us to the hands of the enemy now can we…"

His vicious smirk returned as he clasped his hands together.

Leverrier clenched his fists as he muttered "What are you saying…"

The Pope chuckled coldly back, before spitting "Your orders are to find, and execute the boy for treason."

"Road, why won't he wake up…it's been almost a week now…I don't get it" Tyki's deep tone masked the urgency in his voice. He was truly worried about his brother, and he guessed Road was too. He was still unconscious in Tyki's own bed, sometimes screaming in pain or muttering about a nightmare. He hadn't woken at all, not even once throughout the whole week, and by now the whole of the family was scared for him.

Road still hadn't left his side, not even once and even she started muttering something about a promise. Tyki stood, and walked over to the collapsed girl. He shook her shoulders in a desperate attempt to get a response. Her eyes fluttered open as tears began to pour out.

"Tyki…I-I'm scared." She whimpered, as he pulled her up from the floor attempting to comfort her.

"Why, what happened?" he asked, the worry seeping into his voice.

"I..I went to visit his dream world and…no one was there…" Tyki's eyes bulged, sure he had heard Road talk about Allen's dream self, rather fondly too, but what did it mean if he wasn't even there?

Road couldn't take it anymore, she had to let someone know of her biggest concern.

She leaned over, whispering into his ear "Tyki….I, I don't know if it will still be Allen, when he wakes up."


	39. Chapter 39  Deal With the Devil

**Author's Note: Sorry for the continuously slowing updates, I will try to get new chapters out once a day, but it will probably turn into 1 every 2 days. Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews, it is a great help while writing. Apologies if this chapter is poorly written, I haven't had much time to edit it. Anyway, enough drabble from me, enjoy!**

Chapter 39

"Lenalee's dating Lavi."

The huge pile of papers exploded and in an instant the only occupant was armed with several large firearms and a maniac gleam in his eyes.

"HOW DARE THAT PERVERTED RABBIT!" Komui screamed at the top of his lungs as Reever realized his mistake.

Trying desperately to calm the enraged supervisor down, he eventually succeeded by yelling "Leverrier is here to see you!"

Upon hearing this, the supervisor's weapons and armor clattered to the floor as his face was marred with shock. His glasses fell off his nose; cracking from the impact but Komui was still too stunned to notice. Reever attempted to hurry the supervisor and get him to the room in which he was meant to meet with Leverrier.

Reever sighed as Komui was still rigid as a board, concluding in him actually dragging the frozen man out of the room by his collar. Komui regained his composure minutes later as he stood, dusting himself off and glaring icily at his subordinate.

"If you will excuse me, I must inform a new exorcist of her mission, before I meet with that man." He stated firmly, before stalking off in the opposite direction.

Reever sighed, Leverrier wasn't the sort of man you kept waiting, and he would sure have a hell of a time explaining this.

Komui was outraged, he didn't know what that man from Central was doing here, but if Central was involved, it never ended well. Running his hand through his silky, deep blue hair, he walked off to find the new exorcist.

It didn't take him long, before he heard a chorus of 'Sorrys' and 'Excuse me's' as he stumbled across a sickly pale looking woman. She had shoulder length brown hair, wearing a long silk dress; she was bowing repeatedly to a finder. Aside from the black rims underneath her eyes, indicating she hadn't slept in weeks, the most noticeable feature was the large, grandfather clock she clutched as if it were her life line.

Komui walked up briskly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. In return, he was given a scream of pure terror, and now the woman was almost 10feet away, with the grandfather clock in tow. Komui couldn't help but chuckle slightly, her innocence reminded him of Allen….His thoughts drifted back to the white-haired exorcist…surely he couldn't have been responsible for the disaster in Bukott Angyal, right?

His attention was brought back to the scene unfolding before him, in which the woman was now on her knees, appearing to be praying.

"Miranda is it? I hear you're the new exorcist, I am the supervisor Komui Lee, nice to meet you." He offered a hand to help the poor woman up, which she gratefully accepted.

"Yes…M-Miranda Lotto." She spluttered back, obviously nervous.

Komui chuckled slightly, before replying "I'm sorry to have to do this Miranda, but once I refine your innocence, I need to send you on a mission." She smiled glumly, eyes still fixated on the pavement below.

Komui bowed in response, before turning around and calling back after him "Meet me in the lab in an hour. I have a meeting to attend to.." his voice trailed off near the end, showing signs of obvious discomfort.

Miranda stood up, wondering what could cause the supervisor of the infamous Black Order such uncertainty. She shrugged it off, and returned to attempting to cart the large clock up to the science labs.

Each step Komui took, seemed to drag on longer than necessary. Sure he was nervous, but the tension grew with every step he took towards the meeting room. A Cold sense of dread grew in the pit of his stomach as he pondered over the possible reasons for the meeting. The only viable one, was something to do with a certain white-haired exorcist.

Komui was worried, had Central heard about what happened in the town? What was going to happen to the new recruit… Komui shuddered as his thought completed itself ….what will happen to him if he escapes the Noah's clutches alive? Does this mean even if he is free, he will be killed by his 'allies'.

The simple though make Komui choke, it was truly despicable. Komui tried to relax, by telling himself that none of that would happen, and that Allen would be safe. A clear voice in the back of his mind, kept telling him that it would in fact happen, and he was powerless to prevent it.

Cold sweat beaded his forehead, as he took the last, agonizing steps and swung the large door open. Inside, it was a warm cozy atmosphere, with a small fire lit in the corner of the room, as well as a pile of what looked like cakes on a small table. There were two arm chairs placed on different sides of the room, as he assumed one was for him and on the closest one, sat Levierer.

He had his hair greasy combed back as always, and his arms crossed which looked slightly like he was huffing at something. Komui guessed it was at him being late, as he walked in and took a seat in the other chair. Leverrier rested his head on his right arm, as if sulking about something as Komui was still struggling to believe what he was seeing. It was rare to see the man wearing anything other than a cruel, smug smirk, but here he was, looking fairly miserable.

Leverrier lifted his head from his arms and stared at the supervisor wearily before deciding to start the meeting.

"Komui…is there any exorcists that are currently un-contactable?" he asked, his voice dropping to almost a mutter.

Komui was shocked; Leverrier was usually the kind of person who was straight to the point, uncaring for emotions.

"Uh, the group looking for Cross are traveling to Edo, so they will be un-contactable for the next few weeks, that's all I think."

He stuttered back, as he added mentally

_And also Allen…_

Leverrier rubbed his temples soothingly in an attempt to lessen his growing migraine, but it ended up having the opposite effect.

"Listen Komui, I want you to contact all exorcists possible, as fast as you can…"

Komui's relaxed façade fell, what was Leverrier planning to do and why did he need all the exorcists to be contacted?

"The orders are this….The newly recruited exorcist 'Allen Walker'"

Komui's expression turned into one of pure desperation and fear once he heard the young exorcist's name.

"Is to be…killed on sight for treason against the Vatican."

Leverrier stood as he finished the sentence that felt more like a whole speech. Even speaking those words made him suffocate just a little, as he sighed and watched the supervisor's reaction. Komui couldn't stay calm any longer; he let his face display all the emotions currently running through his mind.

Hatred, annoyance, fear, loathing, disgust, confusion but the most prominent was the despair that etched its way into his features.

Leverrier turned towards the door, to him it didn't feel at all like a meeting but more like a death sentence, which was true in a number of ways.

As if the day wasn't difficult enough for the poor supervisor with a number of surprises, what happened next was something he never thought he'd live to witness. Leverrier just before exiting, turned back to the supervisor, and muttered a barely audible "Sorry."

Komui spent the rest of the afternoon 'fixing' Miranda's innocence. The woman almost murdered the poor supervisor when he attempted to drill into her clock..of course that was fixed the Komui way with a couple of blow-darts.

After that…incident, he brought the new exorcist to Hevlaska. She struggled, screamed and yelled in terror, but eventually calmed down.

After that, he explained everything about Innocence, The Millennium Earl, as well as what they now knew about the Noah. She appeared to be listening intently, as Komui could swear he could actually hear the gears grinding in her brain.

After this, it came time to assign her on the mission. He called one of the finders…no, not just 'a' finder, a certain finder who was desperate to meet Allen.

After gathering Finn and Miranda, he began to explain.

"The group of exorcists searching for General Cross Marian, are headed to Edo. You are to assist them in finding the elusive General, and will be heading to a port town on the coast of China to meet up with them. You will leaving shortly.."

he trailed off, his thoughts still entirely revolving around the fate of a certain white haired boy. He was wondering whether to tell these two the order….it couldn't hurt could it? Besides Cross' group would be back when the reached Edo right? Only one or two weeks, surely it couldn't harm then not knowing about Allen till then? He reached his decision as he sent the finder and new exorcist on board upon a small rowing boat.

He waved them farewell before returning to his desk, quickly falling asleep, buried in the mountain of papers. He wanted to pretend this day had never happened, he wish it had all been a nightmare, but the same little voice told him that everything, was completely true.

"How long has it been now…" asked a very frantic Tyki, slumped over his own bed, waving his arm casually Road who was doing the same.

"10 days, 11 hours, 32 minutes, 23 seconds, 24…" she responded automatically from her position on the other side of the bed.

"Tyki! Grab a cloth, its starting again!"she cried desperately, as she saw the pained expression on Alen's face.

Tyki rushed to comply, hurrying off to his bathroom from his position to grab towels, as only screaming was left in his wake.

Road was trying desperately to hold Allen down, he was in another one of his fits, bleeding heavily. It was like he was becoming a Noah all over again, and it was terrifying.

Usually, the amount of time one spends in the comatose state corresponds with which Noah they are….the first time, Allen stayed in that state for 14 days. How much pain and suffering the poor child must have been thought was unimaginable.

His limbs flailed wildly, attempting to find something to claw at to ease the pain in his forehead. He yelled, shouted, screamed, all the time, but what was truly terrifying was when he whispered.

Sometimes he would be writhing in pain, completely breathless, but then mutter things in a voice that was not his own. She remembered a few of the things that he said, and the left her frozen in terror. 'you're the one who agreed to this…' as well as 'it'll all be over soon..' both having meanings that she was yet to decipher.

The amount of bloodshed...it was horrifying, his once snow-white hair was now stained crimson with dried blood.

Tyki hurried back into the room with numerous wet towels, carefully placing them on the boy in an attempt to stop the blood flow.

"Tyki…help" Road managed to yell over the chorus of Allen's shouts. He attempted to grab the boy's legs, but was instantly kicked backwards into the wall.

His cigarette flew out of his mouth and landed on the floor. Tyki scowled, muttering it was the last in his packet.

"Allen…" Road cried, still trying to hold his arms still.

"Stop!" she screamed, and to her surprise, all the movements halted. It was like time froze as he was stopped in the same exact position he was in the moment he first lost consciousness.

"Allen… What did you do…" she cried while clutching his blood-stained shirt.

Page 3 of 3


	40. Chapter 40  Only Mortal

**Author's note: Will be ending this probably in the next few chapters. Woo, 40 chapters, I'm surprised that I got this far. Because it's the 40****th****, I made this one longer. Hope you like it! As always, thanks to everyone who reads, and as always, please Read and Review ^-^**

Chapter 40

With steady hands, Skinn Bolic grasped the worn door handles on one of the many portals inside the incredible ark. He pulled the doors open with ease, revealing an idyllic coastal town, seemingly somewhere in China.

Skinn had, just that morning, received orders from the Earl, apparently he could sense a fallen one forming. A fallen one was an exorcist who had betrayed their innocence and God. They were damned, but they usually carried highly powerful innocence, and as such, the Earl needed that innocence.

On the other side of the portal, the weather was hot, dry and windy. Skinn disliked anything that wasn't sweet, and that made him boil with rage inside.

_Now… to begin this hunt for the fallen one_.

Skinn took in his surrounds, there were large mountains, all covered in trees, to all four sides, and over one of them he could see occasional flashes of blinding white light. Damn. It's started already, and I need to get there before the exorcists. With renewed haste, Skinn broke into a jog and headed for the cataclysmic event.

Over the main ridge of the craggy mountain, a scene of utter destruction met Skinn's eyes. What was once a village lay there, smoking, decimated by the fallen one. The entire valley looked like it was a war zone of the gods; large gashes in the earth marred the once-beautiful face of the valley and many of the hillsides had collapsed in gargantuan landslides.

The seven stigmata on Skinn's forehead began to burn, he could sense he was close to the fallen one. In fact, he was, for slightly in the distance a radiating white figure hovered several hundred feet off of the ground.

The fallen one seemed to sense Skinn's presence, and as it turned to face him, Skinn's heart twisted with rage. He wanted to destroy it, to cause it eternal misery, to torture the soul inside. With surprising speed, the god-like figure approached Skinn. Having never seen an actual fallen one this close, he took a moment to take in the strange features of it.

It looked to be a massive, floating torso, and where the arms and legs should be attached, there were only stumps. On those stumps were some kind of _tendril_, there were many, and they seemed to float back and forth, similar to an underwater anemone. Instead of a neck and head, there was a sort of indent where the shoulders should have been, there seemed to be a large bowl shape. The skin looked like it was made up of millions of hexagonal plates, each one glowing slightly, it made for a very weird-looking figure. But, most disturbing of all, was what was protruding from where its heart should have been.

There was a man, just a man's head, _stuck in_ the fallen one's chest. Skinn guessed that was the one who betrayed his innocence. He almost… pitied him. But not quite; he would still relish bringing pain and misery to this unlucky individual.

With an almighty bellow, Skinn activated his true Noah form; his skin turned a bright, polished gold and his features became – somehow – more beastlike. His limbs and body became charged with power, crackling and zapping with electricity. He had such a current flowing through him that every time he took a step, the ground beneath him would fry, leaving only a blackened patch of foliage.

The fallen one worked out exactly where Skinn was, and started charging some sort of burst. Skinn had no idea what kind of power this thing held, so he decided to just take the blast head on, see how much damage it would do. He just stood there, waiting for the fallen one to attack. It didn't seem to mind, and when it was done charging up its attack, it unleashed the fury of disobeyed innocence.

With the sound of earth splitting in two, there was a great flash of blinding white light and Skinn found himself momentarily blinded, just before it hit. A massive beam of energy collided with Skinn's golden body; he flew backwards and collided with the mountainside with a resounding _boom_. Skinn groaned, that had hurt much more than he anticipated.

_No matter, I'm still stronger, and the fact that I'm still standing proves that_.

Summoning up masses of energy from his core, Skinn put all of his might into his body, making all of the foliage around him spontaneously combust, it just burst into flame. Using all of his strength, Skinn sprinted forward at a seemingly impossible speed, in fact, he traveled so fast that when he launched himself off the rim of his self-made crater, he took flight for a few seconds, zooming through the air. Before long he reached the fallen one, and his aim was dead on, he was exactly where he wanted to be.

On the fallen one's heart.

The man's glowing face twisted with horror as Skinn edged his way closer, reaching a hand out to crush him, a smile spreading across his face. But, the instant Skinn's fingers made contact, a strange thing happened.

Skinn just disappeared.

Gone.

But the fallen one knew where he was. Skinn was in a large area, he had no idea what had just happened. It felt like he was in some kind of liquid, water, maybe? But, the strange thing was that instead of suffocating in the water, he actually seemed to not need to breathe. It was a very strange sensation, and Skinn allowed himself a few moments rest, purely to experience the feeling a bit more.

Then he changed his attention to his location, he was in some kind of chamber, it felt warm, and walls looked like a kind of papyrus, stretched taught over supporting objects. Then Skinn turned his attention to the center of the room, a white light was emanating from it. It seemed to be… a person? Writhing in agony, a man seemed to be suspended in the thick liquid. The man almost… pulled Skinn in, he brought him closer, as if he knew that the closer Skinn got to innocence the more it pained him. It was almost as if he wanted Skinn to share in his final moments.

At those thoughts, the man 'absorbed' Skinn's mind, he could suddenly see all of the man's memories, from thirty years to five minutes ago.

"My… My name is Suman Dark. I am an exorcist, and I have betrayed my Innocence."

Skinn had to stifle a laugh, look at this pitiful exorcist.

"My group was in an intense battle with several Akuma, but I lost faith in my innocence and ran, I abandoned my friends, left them to die."

"You deserve to suffer, Suman."

"I know… Please, be merciful on my soul."

"Don't worry. I will."

With that, Skinn pushed himself out of the revolting memories, glad to be back in his own consciousness. Skinn was now back inside the large space, and it was only now that he actually realized that he was _inside_ the fallen one.

Hurrying to get out, he 'swam' towards the 'skin' closest to him. Using his Noah, he eviscerated the skin with ease, causing the fallen one to write in pain, almost sending Skinn flying off it.

On the outside, Skinn quickly located Suman's body and head, and with no care for the surface of the fallen one he made his way over to him. It was even more pitiful up close, the skin was ripped and torn in parts and the face was contorted in to an expression of such agony it gave Skinn joy to see it.

Without further ado, Skinn brutally tore of Suman's head, leaving only dripping, glowing tendons in his neck. Suman didn't get time to scream, he was dead before he could think. Skinn then shoved his hand inside Suman's body, retrieving a piece of innocence that evoked a particularly strong feeling of hate within him.

It felt good to have the warm, crimson liquid that was blood on his hands, even if it was that disgusting human blood. I suddenly struck Skin just how quiet the scene was. True, he was not usually the Noah you would call attentive to detail, but the eerie silence was oppressive and foreboding something much more dangerous.

He felt a slight shift on the surface of the Fallen One, not enough for a regular human to notice, but enough of a difference to set him on edge. He stared intently down at the bluish white surface, only to reveal slight cracks opening up all around him.

His jaw dropped in fear as he witnessed the brilliant white light that exploded from every new crack. It was blinding, and it was agonizing. The light burned his skin, as he could hear it sizzle and bubble against its brilliant rays, he could feel himself writhe in agony, before his body felt completely numb.

This was probably for the best, as in the next few seconds, the cracks had spread across the whole torso and the brilliant white light, magnified in its intensity. Feeling to Skin's head returned moments later as he felt wind rushing past it.

It took him a moment to realize he was hurtling through the air at a ridiculous speed, and about to make contact with the unforgiving, bladed rocks below.

He could feel them slice into his back as he crashed to the ground, still with momentum to spare.

He could taste the metallic, crimson liquid that was quickly filling his throat and suffocating him.

He could smell the horrid aroma of corroded flesh that was still sizzling and bubbling as if a liquid.

He could hear the sound of the trees being uprooted by his sturdy body, which felt like a rag doll.

He could see the devastating trail of wreckage he left in his wake as the momentum carried him forward, almost creating a deep chasm.

Screams, voices, hushed whispers crowded the youngest Noah's mind as he tried to arise from his position. He had finally stopped moving, but was bleeding heavily and severely injured. It wouldn't take long to heal, but in this state he was extremely vulnerable, and he knew that.

He had heard what had happened to the oldest Noah and didn't want anything of the sort to happen to him. He managed to crawl out of the rupture he created, and was attempting to stand. He knew there was an ark gate in this town somewhere, only he didn't know if he could make it on foot. It was in the forest from what he remembered, and with this in mind, he began his slow limp home.

He gazed behind him one last time, seeing the trail of crimson he left in his wake. He sighed, even if he wasn't the brightest, he knew that it was undeniably obvious.

"I'm a sitting duck out here…" he scoffed to himself, not knowing how right he was.

Lavi, Lenalee Crowley and the current bookman were all still present in the small, coastal town they had been for the last week. They had received orders only a few days ago, that not only they would be receiving reinforcements here, but there were numerous rumors of a certain red-haired general being present in the town.

This lead the band of exorcists to their current position- waiting patiently outside an extremely expensive looking hotel for a manager of some sort.

There were rumors of a red-haired man wearing a black cloak with golden embroideries, as well as striking red hair and half an opera mask. There were even more rumors of the same man, racking up bills that no sane man would be able to pay, then disappearing off the face of the earth.

One trail had lead to another, so here they were at the entrance of an expensive looking hotel, with only rumors for evidence that a certain man was present. What happened next was something none of the exorcists were suspecting.

A man who appeared to be almost 7ft tall, charged out of the building dwarfing every single exorcists size in comparison- especially bookman, who looked smaller than the muscular man's arms. His head was shaved bald, as lavi studied his abs. He would have had an 8, or even 10 pack if it was for…wait! Were those!

Lavi yelped in horror as he realized this 'man' was actually a woman. In one swift motion, both Lavi and Crowley were being suspended midair by the woman who seemed to be gazing intently at their jackets.

To their surprise, she then opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue enough to reveal the exorcist symbol tattooed across it. She then turned around mechanically, gesturing for the exorcists to follow, which they all complied to with shaky feet and trembling mouths.

They were lead to what looked like the owners bedroom, and as they entered, everyone couldn't help but gasp.

The room itself was a masterpiece, with hundreds of different decorations as well as patters. In all, the room itself seemed to be worth more than any of the exorcists had earned in their life. One of the most magnificent parts of the room, was the figure sitting quietly in the centre.

She appeared to be around 25 in age and had shoulder length brown hair. Her face was perfectly rounded, with a silk cowl covering some. In all she was a perfect figure, very beautiful indeed, which of course led to multiple 'Strike's' from the bookman apprentice.

"I am Anita and this is Mahoja." She stated with a kind smile that could almost rival Allen's…but not quite.

"We have orders to find General Cross Marain, and were lead here." Came the dignified response from Bookman, the only one seemingly unaffected by her beauty. A light chuckle came from Anita as she was interrupted by a deep grunt. She gestured to the corner of the room, which made the exorcists all swivel around instantly. Even bookman's eyes budged when he saw the figure slumped over a table.

He had brilliant red hair that trailed down his back as well as an opera mask covering half of his face. A cigarette was hanging half out of his mouth as he glanced lazily at the new arrivals.

"Not. Going. Back. To. HQ." he scowled deeply, more to himself than anyone. The groups of exorcists were too stunned to even respond to his statement. Sure, they had expected it to be hard to find the guy, but not for him to flatly refuse to return to HQ!

"Well, seeing as you brats are here, I might as well put you to good use…" He trailed off, and started chuckling to himself darkly.

Lavi and Bookman had read the records on this man, and from what he was implying, they would have hundreds of debt collectors chasing after them.

"I need help with my mission." He grunted, still appearing unwilling to ask for help. Lavi couldn't help but let out a confused squeak, which made every occupant of the room turn to face him with their eyebrows raised. He chuckled out of embarrassment scratching the back of his head, as his cheeks reddened so he looked like a tomato.

"I was sent to destroy an Akuma factory, and I have found that it is in Edo. I was planning to leave tomorrow on a ship, but I guess you brats can come along.." he muttered, taking another swig of his cigarette. The exorcists could only nod, still too shocked to move or speak.

Without warning, he ushered them out of the room, telling them to find beds and that they'll leave first thing in the morning. Seeing as it was only 6pm, most of them thought that to be a little suspicious, so they decided to patrol the town.

Firstly to scout for Akuma, secondly to find their reinforcements and thirdly to try catch a sneaky red-haired general if he attempted to do a runner. Somehow, everyone knew it was most likely to be the latter.

It didn't take long to spot a very worried looking woman wearing the exorcist's uniform, along with a finder who seemed completely out of it. Lavi walked up and attempted to calm the poor woman down. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and as soon as the contact was made, she was instantly 10 meters away, hiding behind the finder.

Lavi couldn't help but chuckle, as he gazed at the woman once more. She was reasonably tall, with shoulder length brown hair that curled slightly at the ends. She had large black rims underneath her eyes, making her look extremely tiered, which Lavi guessed she was. He waved at her to come back and shrugged indicating he meant no harm. She coughed awkwardly, before slowly tottering back into the group of exorcists.

"H-hi I'm M-Miranda" she managed to stutter to the crowd before everyone nodded in agreement. Lavi's grin intensified when he saw how nervous she was.

"I'm Lavi, this is Bookman, Crowley and Lenalee" he introduced, gesturing to each in turn who gave a polite bow. Miranda actually smiled slightly, before her facial expression turned solemn once again.

"This is Finn." She said, pointing to the finder who had still to realize he had newfound company. He stared at the ground with an unreadable expression, until Miranda jabbed his sides making him shoot up and look around worriedly.

"Ah, sorry. It is nice to meet you master exorcists." He replied, taking a bow and as his cheeks turned pink in embarrassment.

"I am a finder sent to help you bring back General Cross…Though Komui said the real reason he sent me was because I knew…Never mind." He shook his head in frustration before gazing back at the new audience he had acquired. All the exorcists were looking at him curiously, almost standing on their tiptoes in hope of an explanation, whereas the bookman simply eyed at him suspiciously.

"Is he really missing?" Finn asked, all traces of happiness gone from his voice.

"No, we know exactly where he is…" Lenalee replied, with an equally depressed voice.

"Did you know him?" Crowley asked suddenly, hoping to brighten the mood. Finn nodded slowly before grimacing and turning away, indicating he was not going to divulge into further detail.

Miranda was about to tap him on the shoulder politely, but brilliant white beam of light, appeared to explode out of nowhere towards the forest. The whole group of exorcists and one finder broke into a sprint in order to witness what was happening.

It didn't take long, only 5 minutes tops for the light to start to falter. It died shortly after, leaving incredible darkness compared to its illuminating white aurora. In no time they stumbled across a worrying scene.

The most worrying part was there was no evidence of anyone every being present, only the destruction around them told a tale. The trees were pushed back, and on the edge there was a large circular crater. One of the most peculiar details was that there appeared to be a trail of fresh blood leading out of the crater.

The blood was spattered everyone, on the trees, shrubbery and the trail it left was messy to lay the least. The group walked over to inspect it, and the first thing they noticed was that the ground was torn up in a straight line out of the crater, as if something had been thrown with tremendous force.

Everyone jumped into the chasm, extremely curious, but worried to see what they would find.

The chasm lead them deeper into a bamboo forest, as the blood trail started growing more even. It was an ever present line now, instead of just spatters. They walked for what seemed like miles, before reaching a mound of rubble and debris where it appeared the momentum stopped.

There was a shallow pool of crimson, lapping at the rocks as the Exorcists attempted to climb out of the small trench. Whatever had happened, whoever this was severely injured and would surely die without medical attention.

The trail didn't stop after the momentum did.

It appeared the victim had crawled out of the chasm, leaving fresh bloodstains in his wake. The blood was now in the shapes of foot prints along with a slight trail next to it. Lavi heard a slight rusting from in front of them, before he realized just how close they were.

He grabbed as many arms as possible and pulled them behind the shrubs, then he gestured forward wildly at the figure ahead. They were currently in a grove, but the figure was in the clearing just ahead.

It wore a long trench coat, almost down to his feet that was covered in blood, illuminated slightly by the pale moonlight. Its steps were heavy and pained, as the figure grunted with each small movement, indicating agonizing pain.

Lavi stepped forward slightly, accidently breaking a twig in the movement. Bookman grabbed his apprentice's hand tightly as he gestured back to the figure.

It had turned around to reveal its facial features because of the noise. He had no undershirt on, and a very bloody and cut chest. His hair was black and spiked at the ends, finishing in wicked points. What was more horrifying was the guy didn't seem to have any pupils; it was just simply white and shining.

It was then that Lavi noticed what everyone else was gasping at, not only was his skin dark because of the shadows, even in the moonlight it was a charcoal gray. The slight light revealed the 7 black crosses engraved into the man's forehead as he grimaced. "

Noah…" Lavi muttered, as what appeared to be crystals just appeared from the sky. The number 14 appeared to be etched on the diamonds as they began to materialize in greater quantities.

"Innocence, activate!" Lenalee whispered as her boots glowed with green flame. Another monster had arrived like the one that took Allen.

She charged, acting on instinct alone at the hulky figure before her. He scowled as she drew closer, but was too wounded to block or dodge any attacks. She managed to land a square blow on his chest, sending him flying into a nearby tree.

Lavi was quick to pull out his own Innocence and run into the fray.

Crowley was simply watching, before he realized this might be an Akuma for him to kill.

He charged out as well, leaving a fretting Miranda and finder as well as a sighing bookman.

She sat on the edge of his bed poking his soft cheek while counting to herself softly. Only a few more seconds and he would wake right?

"14, 14, 14, 10" she whispered, staring down at the unconscious boy.

"4…

3…

2…

1…" she muttered.

The number screamed in her brain, drowning out all other thoughts as she watched what happened next.

Rivers of tears rushed from his eyes, but Road was too preoccupied to notice that she was crying too…no **she** wasn't, it was her Noah…

Two piercing golden eyes flickered open, which screamed murder as she could actually feel the hatred radiating off his body.

His face twisted into a smirk that wasn't quite his own, as he whispered to her in a voice that wasn't his either "Good..Mor..ning."


	41. Chapter 41  The Truth

**Author's Note: This is Fan-fiction, so it is completely made-up. In truth, I couldn't know less about the bible and everything, so please don't criticize if I get some of the facts wrong. As always thanks to everyone who reads / reviews and I think next chapter might be the last. I have decided to finish it, but not completely end it so if I ever feel like writing a sequel / prequel I am able to. ^-^**

Chapter 41

The battle was over before anyone could even blink. The Noah didn't even put up a fight, simply falling to the ground with heavily labored breathing. Lavi and Bookman were recording the scene suspiciously, especially because from what the records told, Noah never gave up this easily. This guy hadn't even tried to attack, and simply took the punishment the innocence was dealing out.

Lavi wanted to shout out, for them to stop. He wasn't hurting anyone, and what the other exorcists were doing right now was just cruel. The Noah had already been severely injured, and was dying slowly, but yet they kept pressing on him, just because he was a Noah. Sure, Noahs were considered to be the allies of the Earl, and it was an exorcist's duty to fight them, but they knew nothing of this Noah, for all they knew he could be against the Earl. Lavi sighed, finally regressing to only watching while Bookman was doing the recording.

It hurt. It hurt more than anything that Skinn had ever felt…so this was 'dying'. He almost laughed, when he killed those pitiful humans, they didn't have TIME to suffer like this. In an instant, it was all over, but now… His wounds refused to close, because of the innocence constantly making contact with his body. It marred his flesh with great gashes, along with areas where it at burnt him.

Skinn could feel his stomach growing cold, going numb. The sensation began to spread outward, as he could no longer feel the innocence on his skin. His vision began to blur and again, the crimson liquid was the only taste lingering in his mouth…

It wasn't sweet…

He would have laughed, if he was not in his current situation. Getting killed by exorcists…that was not the kind of title he wanted to hang over his head when he returned… Skinn could still hear the shouts of some of the exorcists, some saying 'monster' and others abuse along those lines. In a feeble attempt to gain some comfort in his last moments, he tried to reach for his pocket. The exorcists noticed, as his hands were then held down tightly.

"One…Last…Time.." he muttered, rasping for breath as the exorcists gasped. In one swift motion, he was able to rummage through his pocket until his hand brushed past what he was looking for. His arm felt like a lead weight, and was increasingly difficult to move. With his last strength, he began to pull off the wrapper of the candy he took.

Peppermint.

The first flavor he ever had when Road gave it to him to help ease his pain oh so long ago…The day his life changed forever, for the better or for the worse? He couldn't tell.

With the remainder of his strength, he popped the candy into his mouth as the sweet sensation tingled in his mouth. A heart-wrenching smile adorned his lips as he uttered "It…was sweet."

To everyone's surprise, he actually began to crumble. His body was slowly eroding away into dust, then being swept up and carried away by the wind.

Lavi was disgusted; he had just witnessed something that had occurred time and time again in the world. It was always his job, to record and stand from the sidelines, alas sometimes he just wished he could contribute. Observing humans make the same mistake, time and time again, made a part of actually hate the damned species.

Once he had joined the Order, his opinions began to alter, change because of the kinds of people he met there. He believed that they were better than this, that they were not like the idiotic humans making the same mistake over and over again. Yet here he was watching the same mistake repeat itself again, acting blindly on emotions, judging others without reason…it was truly tragic.

Once again, Lavi's small amount of faith in humanity began to waver irreversibly.

The eerie silence was oppressive on all who were present. There were no birds chirping in the trees, not a single rustle of the leaves, just the eerie silence and quiet humming of the glowing, white diamonds.

Bookman raised an eyebrow suspiciously, as Lavi stepped forward to touch it. It seemed to quiver, then in a flash it disappeared. The group was left stunned; jaws dropped staring into thin air where moments earlier, there had been something extraordinary.

After a few moments, the exorcists noticed where the Noah was actually headed: a run-down shack. It was a dark building, it looked like it had belonged to a fisherman as it had nets strung up on its door and it reeked of fish. Everybody approached cautiously, if a Noah was heading for that place, then it couldn't be very safe.

Lavi stepped forward, opening the front door, which promptly fell off its hinges. Once the thick dust had cleared somewhat, they explored the building. Sitting on a chair around a small table, they found a grotesque skeleton with a whiskey bottle in one hand and a small dagger in the other. It was long dead, long forgotten, but it still made most of them shiver. In the most discreet, dark corner there was a clothes wardrobe, it would be an antique by now, if not for the scratches on the side... It appeared as if someone was counting something on the side of it.

Lavi, always one to impress Lenalee, stepped up to the wardrobe and boldly swung the doors open. What he saw made him jump back in fright, there was a hovering, glowing... thing inside of it. It was roughly diamond-shaped, and had many shards hovering next to it. It was the same thing they had witnessed earlier in the forest, with the same number 14 etched into it. Each one of the diamonds seemed to radiate the same god-like light.

"It... It looks like a portal", Someone piped up

"It most likely is, but I have not seen one like that in many a year", replied Bookman.

"Well, if the Noah was heading here, it might lead us to Edo or some other Akuma factory."

"We really should wait for backup, but it could be gone by then..."

"Hrmmm... I don't know! What should we do?"

"I say we wait!"

"I say we go!"

Linalee was getting incredibly sick of this entire facade, so she took a leap of faith and stepped right into the portal. Everyone stared, wide-eyed and wide-mouthed. Lavi was the first to follow suit, and after him, everyone else was crowding to get in. Within the minute, the dirty building was, once again, devoid of life leaving the skeleton forever forgotten once again.

"I know you're there, show yourself…"

Allen muttered aloud, earning a puzzled expression from Road, the only other visible occupant in the room. As if on cue, the Earl who had previously been hiding in the ceiling lost his grip and fell through the roof, landing squarely on Allen's back.

"Oh my, where did Allen go?" the Earl asked curiously, tilting his head on the side and placing his finger to his teeth. Anyone would find the gesture cute, if it wasn't the Earl making it…

"U…dr…..h..re…" A muffled voice screamed out from underneath the suffocating weight.

"Ro..d….h…lp…!" it shouted again, as Road couldn't help but chuckle. She pointed underneath the Earl, where Allen was struggling desperately for air as she giggled childishly.

The Earl gasped in mock surprise, apologizing for the 'inconvenience' as Allen stole Kanda's typical phrase of replying with a simple "Tch."

The Earl's expression turned to a serious one very quickly, as even though his face was stretched into a wild grin, his eyes were glimmering with anger and…what was that…worry?

The Earl grasped Allen's shoulders tightly, preventing any form of escape then whispered "Are you really Allen?" To both The Earl's and Road's surprise, Allen burst out laughing manically as if he had just said something hilarious. Wiping away his tears, he turned back after minutes of cackling with a devilish grin set in place.

"You still don't know who I am? I'm disappointed in you, Adam." The Earl was dumbfounded, and his expression clearly showed it. His usual grin was turned upside down in an expression of uncertainty, as he titled his head to the side slightly. No one ever called him by his real name, so this must be something important.

"Who are you?" He asked cautiously, not wanting to provoke another laughing-fit for the next five minutes. But to no avail, Allen cackled at this once more, but only for a brief moment, before his expression turned solemn.

"I go by many names… I am the reincarnation of Djevelen, Чорт, Diable, Satana, Diablo, Teufel, the Fallen Angel or more commonly known as- the Devil." His grin widened to an extent where it looked even larger than the Earl's!

"W-What are you saying! That Allen is the devil?" the Earl stuttered back, completely stunned and shocked at his announcement. Once again, Allen fell on the floor cackling wildly, before standing up and returning to the conversation.

"No. Allen is not, I am. I am not Allen, Allen is not me. Explaining everything would take too much time, but for now just know that 'Allen' is much more confusing than he seems..." 'Allen' stated modestly and he bowed slightly while doing so.

"I need now to hear what you know, Adam. Tell me, what are the 'Noah'?" Allen asked seriously, all traces of humour gone.

"T-The Noah Family are descendants of the original Noah. Each memory was separated, and since Noah was the 'father' of the current mankind, his memories are technically in every human. Only a select few awaken as 'Noah' because the memories are close to their own personality." The Earl managed to state, seeming slightly less pathetic. Allen chuckled, briefly, not in humour but at their naivety.

"True, true, but from that, even you should know there was no fourteenth Noah. As you know, stigmata are Holy marks, usually associated with Noah, but in truth, they simply mark a being that is not from this earth, be it from Heaven or Hell. I'm not going to go into detail on that subject just yet..." he trailed off.

"What is the 'heart' of innocence?" He asked, almost angrily.

The Earl's face twisted into a scowl as he replied "The most powerful piece of innocence, the one that if found could win or lose this war." Allen burst out laughing once again before replying.

"You know you already have the heart... it is me. Yet your answer was wrong, that is not what the heart of innocence truly is...The heart is simply someone who is completely pure."

'Allen' could see both their bewildered expressions and decided to explain a little further.

"Okay, listen up because I'm only saying this once. 37 years ago, I decided to help you out with your plan Earl, so I could have more inhabitants where I live.

I wandered this Earth as a spirit, seeking someone with a soul that had a personality close to my own, which I managed to find quickly I might as well add. This person's name was 'Neah'.

I didn't have much influence over him, although I was able to speak to him through his mind. I gave him a gift, one only I had- which was the ability to see the souls of the living. I originally had this gift in order to judge those who had sinned, but that's another story.

I gave him this gift because I thought he could handle its power… I was wrong. True, he was like me, a savoir and a martyr in one, so he wanted to 'save' your souls, because he could see their suffering. This lead to his betrayal and 'death'.

Unfortunately, I was not freed from his soul, and we soon were left wandering this earth without a host. It didn't take long for a certain someone to find out about my plan, and God decided to give the other side a chance of winning.

An unborn child was blessed with God's beloved innocence, as well as his holy spirit, meaning a completely untainted, pure soul. It took us a long time to find the unborn child, but when we did, we took him as our host.

Since the child was not yet born, his soul was not strong so neither we, nor the holy spirit were able to take him...Funny, really, for the first months when he was unborn, there was a literal battle of good and evil unfolding...

Sadly for us, when the child was born, the holy spirit was faster than us, and fused with the child's soul, leaving us chained up, unawakened. This should by all means have lead to our demise, but humanity played a trick on the young saint.

For years, the darkness inside him grew while he was shunned, rejected and broken by the humans around him, simply for having god's 'gift'. It took years, but eventually we found a way to the dark corners of his mind. We were kept locked up but his saintly spirit, but whenever his darkness grew, we gained more influence on his will, as well as actions.

After almost being murdered by his own father, then again by the townsfolk, he snapped. He gave in to his inner darkness, and then it was us who played his role. We were his mask of indifference while he watched the cruelty of the world, we were the mask that he always wore, never letting anyone know the real him...

This changed when he met Mana, who was coincidentally Neah's older brother. Allen was finally able to see there was some good in the world and as we began to fade as he started to lose the need for a constant mask...this lasted almost three years...until Mana was killed...murdered, actually, but it broke him once again.

His darkness grew and grew until we threatened to overwhelm his untainted soul. Then you appeared, Adam."

Allen stared deeply into the Earl's spectacles, studying every movement, reaction, emotion. Granted, the Earl was of course crying, but underneath those puffy eyes, there was another emotion.

"He was shown true love and adoration, for who he truly was. He loved his family more than the world itself, and was willing to put aside his unwavering desire to save in order to keep his new family. In time, even his once pure, holy spirit was stained with blood.

Yet, he was still the only hope for humanity, his morals and ideas were not wrong, and that is why he could never become a Fallen one. You know the rest I presume..."

He trailed off, finishing his insightful speech on an anti-climatic note.

"Oh! Yes, he is struggling fiercely for control, so I'll have to go for now...but be warned, not even I have experienced such hatred that he is currently feeling. I know you two felt it as well...the loss of one of yours and Allen's brother...Farewell."

With that goodbye, Allen clutched his head tightly as tears rolled down his cheeks. .His eyes flickered open to reveal orbs so filled with loathing and malevolence, even the Earl was taken aback.

"How about we greet our uninvited guests?" He asked in a quiet voice, so filled with malice that it made both the Earl and Road shudder.


	42. Chapter 42  The Beginning of the End

**Author's Note: Sequel is out! Please read and review.**

Chapter 42

In a split second, Allen's personality did a complete 180 degree turn. He went from a sadistic, malevolent 'devil' so to speak, to a chirpy, excited kid. Sure, what was making him so happy would have left many people shuddering and could have made the entire Order cringe in disgust; alas it made him bounce off the walls like a giddy school girl.

Allen wasn't really sure what he was doing, all he knew was he was ecstatic. The exorcists had ACTUALLY entered the ark of their own free will, and now he had the chance to play, torture, murder, and do anything he wanted to them!

His mood was crushed severely when his thoughts drifted back to Skinn...Allen had been asleep at the time of his death, with the other side in control, but he could feel the immense pain of losing one of his family, and he never wanted to experience it again.

Allen dug into his pockets, searching for something important. He was sure it was in this coat last time he checked, and was praying it still remained. He almost laughed when he found the small candy in the deep folds of fabric. It was so comforting to feel it there as he slowly dragged it out. A tragic smile spread across his face. The candy he pulled out was the last left of the ones Skinn had given to him on his birthday..

It was funny...

Peppermint...

He hated peppermint...

His eyes once returned to the cold, hatred they held moments before...he still couldn't fully believe that Skinn was dead. Sure, the guy didn't get along with many people, but he showed respect and gratitude in his own way...be it an occasional candy thrown at your face, or a rough slap on the back.

Allen's hatred actually seemed to radiate off his body as his mind drifted back to those exorcists he may have considered friends...Sure, he had spent a large amount of time with the exorcists, and he thought that in another life they could have been friends, but not in this one.

Right now, the only thing he wanted was to feel the life slip away from them in the form of that splendid metallic liquid. He was practically drooling at the very thought of it, when he came to his senses, trying to hide all signs of insanity.

In truth, he didn't really care anymore about deceiving the exorcists, as a matter of fact, he was relishing the idea of 'betrayal'. Backstabber, traitor, and monster...yes he fitted those descriptions well, but no longer could he bother to actually care...

He had puppy-dog eyes as he focused on Road, for the first time in what seemed like weeks.

"Road!" he chimed in a sing-song voice that would send chills down the spine of any regular human. He was quick to latch his arms around the back of her neck, even though he was the taller one.

Quickly jumping back, he kneeled on the floor with a pleading expression along with a crocodile tears.

"Can we set up the dining hall for the guests? Please?"

Road was bewildered at his strange attitude. It didn't help that he constantly switched from being on the verge of murder with a blood-lust so strong she swore she could feel the air temperature drop noticeably around him, and jumping around like a small child with a large, innocent grin set in place. Maybe he had finally snapped?

Gone insane?

No...she didn't like that thought...

She decided to actually ask him just what was going on. She shook his shoulders lightly with a worried look on her face.

"Allen, are you...alright?" was all she could muster. Even after living as long as she had, talking to someone in this state was difficult, hence why her voice faltered near the end.

He chuckled merrily at this then looked up with a grin that stretched ear to ear.

"After witnessing what I have...When we fused, I received all of his memories. Some of them...Road they're just..." he shook his head in obvious disgust. She was taken aback; did Allen actually have all of the devil's memories?

That must be a terrifying burden indeed. She summoned up all the courage she could, as she padded back to where he was slumped over. She reached out, brushing his cheek lightly before pulling him into a soft embrace...so soft that it felt the lightest breeze would part the two.

"It'll all be over soon.." she whispered quietly into his ear, in an attempt to comfort him.

"After we're done here can we... I want to...destroy it..." he muttered so quietly, that if Road was not a Noah it would have been completely inaudible.

"It?" she questioned, curious to know what he truly wanted destroyed.

"Everything." He replied firmly, as madness once again surface and tinted on the edges of his golden eyes.

"Let's get ready for the show, we don't want to miss the opening of the curtain after all...we are the actors." She replied, standing quickly, and then bending down to help him. He smiled briefly, one true smile of genuine happiness before it twisted into a cold smirk.

"Let's go prepare the dining hall.." he announced, almost pulling road along as she complied readily. Allen couldn't help but let the song escape his lips, the one he remembered from his birthday present from the Earl.

_Taiyou wo ushinatte boku wa, tsuki no ai kao sagasu_

_Hikato yami ga hitotsu ninaru_

_Owari no hajimari ha, touchaku shiteiru_

_(Having lost sight of the sun, I search for the moon)_

_(Light and Darkness become one…)_

_(The beginning of the end has arrived.)_

They had been in the brilliant white town for what seemed like hours. The group of exorcists walked and talked as if nothing was wrong, but in truth each one was terrified in their own way.

The first dilemma they encountered, was that the door that lead them in, didn't lead out. Every single other doorway they had found after that had lead nowhere, and was not connected to the outside world.

Lavi had been making small talk with Lenalee and Crowley in an attempt the calm both of their nerves, but in truth it was distract himself from focusing on the Noah, aswell as his wavering resolve about humanity.

Miranda would often join in the conversation, but otherwise stayed quiet.

Both the finder and Bookman hadn't said a word since they entered, as both of their thoughts revolved solely around a white-haired boy.

Bookman would have had hundreds of thoughts spinning through his head at the same time, theories, calculations, anything and everything to explain what was going on. He would not admit he was afraid of death, yet truthfully the thought affected him more than he ever dared to show.

He was not confident his apprentice would continue to be a bookman, and instead join the exorcists, though he wasn't so sure anymore. After witnessing and recording as a bookman should; about what happened to the Noah, he watched his apprentice's face twist with loathing.

It was odd, he was usually the child with the bright attitude, but in his younger years he despised humans readily. That attitude had been suppressed ever since they joined the Order, but it was resurfacing once more. This brought bookman back to the dilemma about what would happen if he died?

He shuddered at the thought, and from what he knew about this place 'Noah's Ark', he was actually worried he wouldn't make it out alive.

They trotted down the endless, shining white hallways with tension growing in each step, even without them realizing it; they were drawing closer and closer to the doorway which would lead them to their fate.

Lavi muttered curses under his breath, he was sure the temperature had dropped at least a few degrees the father they moved down the path, and was worried about what that indicated. There was an arced doorway at the end of the hall, lager and more extravagant than they had preciously encountered.

It had to of been about 10 feet tall, and almost 7 feet wide. The door itself looked like it was created out of some material that shined brighter than diamond, as the fake-sunlight of the ark gleamed off it in a brilliant manor. There were two large handles on either side of the door as an intoxicating aroma seeped under it. It smelt beautiful, like all the finest foods and drinks combined.

Everyone was weary and cautious as the slowly pushed open the door. It was heavier than it appeared, and took Lavi, Crowley and Finn pushing with all their strength for it to finally creak open.

It revealed a room lit with ominous floating candles that flickered off the objects, creating looming shadows in every direction. Only Lenalee recognized those candles...all too well.

In the centre of the 'room' there was a long, narrow table with multiple looming chairs placed on either side. Because of the angle, the figure sitting at the head of the table was not quite visible, but the petit, ashen skinned, blue-haired girl was.

She had her head cradled in her arms, leaning on the table in an unsophisticated manor. She appeared to be sucking on a lollipop with an extremely bored expression as she watched the exorcists enter.

Across from her, there sat a very, high-class Portuguese looking man who had curly, jet black hair. His golden eyes flickered dangerously in the candle light, as it illuminated his forehead. He promptly pushed his hair out of the way to reveal 7, black stigmata carved deeply into his forehead. His smirk only grew as he watched the exorcist's horrified expressions.

He was the first to break the silence, as he muttered loud enough for everyone to hear "Take a seat, there is food set out. Don't mind if we start do you?" he asked nonchalantly, shrugging and picking up his eating utensils.

He cut into the steak in front of him in a ravenous manor, but still maintained the air of command and superiority that he somehow emitted with just a glance in your direction.

The figure at the head of the table chuckled lightly at his remark...a laugh the exorcists recognized all too well.

They all rushed forward, half eager to see and half afraid. At the head of the table was the boy they all knew and recognized, but at the same time they didn't.

His smile was...different, it was no longer kind and forgiving but cruel and cold. His once misty grey orbs still remained the same colour, but now there was something darker hiding within those eyes...Only the bookman who were trained to observe noticed the insanity roiling and writhing right beneath the surface.

"Take a seat." Allen ordered, but in a tone of voice that sounded more like a question. Every one of the exorcists including the finder took a seat at the long, high table.

In front of them were plates overflowing with rich looking delights and foods, but it made every one of their stomachs churn in distaste.

Finn was unlucky enough to have the seat at the end of the table, directly facing Allen. Allen tilted his head to the side, with a confused expression the pointed at Finn.

"And who, may I ask is that?" he asked coolly, still pointing at the now frozen finder.

"He is a finder..." Lenalee answered quietly, still shaking and shuddering at what she was seeing. Allen chuckled, almost merrily once more before gazing deeply into the other's eyes. It took a moment, but Allen suddenly gasped in recognition.

"So, we meet again Finn." He stated, his eyes growing colder and more insane by the minute. Finn bowed slightly, he would normally recognize someone easily thanks to his almost photographic memory, but this was different.

Not only was Allen's hair now completely pure white, but his once soft childish face was hardened by age and experience along with a scar that marred his left eye, running from his forehead the his cheek bone.

The most frightening thing was his eyes.

They were no longer the eyes of a child, he could tell that much for sure. He had seen this look only once before, and that was when Allen snapped all those years ago. His eyes suddenly changed for a split second back then, and here they were now, permanently in that insane state.

It felt like his blood was freezing, it felt like even his stare was peering into Finn's very soul, and it felt horrible. He felt like crying out, pleading for help, but he knew nothing would be able to save him now. He needed something to break the eye contact, and he needed it soon.

Abruptly, Allen blinked then stared at the floor as if in shame.

He faced his head back up to the guests, as his face twisted into a maniac grin.

"So Finn, how does it feel to be the only survivor...?" Allen asked, well more stated coldly, his voice sounded like he had snapped completely.

It sounded broken, hollow, and worst of all, empty.

Finn's blood boiled with rage, he had always been told he had a heart bigger than his brain, and he was almost sure his heart was about to explode. _It must have been Allen_... he couldn't hold back his emotions anymore as tears spilled from his cheeks he stood up slamming the table with his fists.

"Why did you kill them Allen? WHY?" He screamed, surprising all the exorcists but only leaving amused expressions on the Noahs' faces. Allen couldn't help but chuckle at his sudden outburst, it was hilarious to see these pathetic humans break...

"They deserved it. You would have died too if you were there..." He muttered back, grinning once again at the crowd of exorcists.

Lenalee was the first to recompose herself, as she gasped and asked "What?" Finn turned to her, his face deep red with rage, then yelled back, completely unable to control his volume.

"He killed them! Hundreds of innocent people! He killed my whole family! All for the petty sake of revenge!" he almost screamed.

To everyone's surprise, Allen started laughing harder at this gaining the full attention of the room.

Wiping the tears away, he smirked back at the exorcists before replying "I didn't kill them. I murdered them, tortured them, made them suffer for what they did. I made them repent." All the exorcists' eyes were completely fixed on the laughing figure, who seemed to think the whole situation was one big joke.

"Allen! Is that really you?" Lenalee cried desperately, terrified about what she was witnessing. Miranda and Crowley felt the same disbelief that the kind child, the savoir they had met, could actually take another's life.

Both the bookman had the same sinking feeling, always fearing the worst, not even bookman had expected this.

Allen stood slowly, and then looped his straight white hair in curls around his finger as if terribly bored with the entire situation.

"Yes, this is the real Allen. Do you actually believe you know me?" he asked coldly, gazing at the shocked expressions with a stone-cold face.

"This will make things...clearer." he announced, as he allowed the transformation to take place.

His once pale white skin began turning charcoal, as his once straight white hair began to curl at its ends. The seven holy marks engraved themselves on his forehead, as he opened his eyes once more to reveal cruel golden orbs, replacing the once kind, silver ones.

There were gasps all over the room, coming from the exorcists and the finders, as the only one word could be herd amongst all their cries.

"Noah!" Allen cackled manically, as he turned to face them with the grin bordering on insanity still firmly in place.

He whispered once word, so quiet that it shouldn't have been heard, yet everyone heard it loud and clear. Everything began collapsing around them as the darkness clouded their vision and one singular word echoed through their mind.

"Wrong."

_Why don't you help them?_

_Is it because of their so-called 'freedom'?_

_Is it because they mean nothing to you?_

_If you __**save**__ them from the inevitable, does that then take away your false, idealistic notion of 'freedom'?_

_You are truly despicable, crueler than even I…_

_Watch as the skies run crimson, with the blood of the fallen._

_Watch as the seas tear the land apart._

_Watch as __**YOUR**__ world falls into chaos._

_Watch as __**YOUR**__ precious creations fall into ruin and despair._

_Watch as __**YOUR**__ favorite creation tears you down to the living hell that __**YOU**__ created._

_Watch the Apocalypse. The Beginning of the End has come at long last…_


	43. Author's Note Sequel

**Sequel is out! 'Decent into madness'. Please enjoy**


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